Macross RWBY: Delta
by BlazefireDrago
Summary: ARC III: Windermere has now taken control of the Brisingr Globular Cluster and the forces of Chaos are now a refugee fleet from Ragna. Now holding up on Remnant, the only planet free of Windermerean influence, Ruby and the Delta Platoon must prepare for the escalation against the Aerial Knight's Tactics, while learning Remnant's true history... from underground.
1. Prelude to Battle

**A/N: BlazefireDrago here with something different this time around. With the two fics I have on site on a Hiatus, I figure I should put this one in to get a creative feel back in. Well, with the Writer's block and my laptop's updates, it is very tiring to type in some paragraphs back in the documents.**

 **Anyways, despite this being posted on the main RWBY fic archives, this is actually a crossover with Macross Delta, and so I'll be sure to include that in the summary. This chapter will also explain how Ruby and the crew interacts with the members of Chaos, more particularly the Delta Platoon and Walkure.**

 **With that out of the way, I am BlazefireDrago, signing out.**

* * *

 _Remnant: A world filled with vibrant life. A world populated by humans and faunas. A world… plagued by the darkness._

 _Since the beginning of time, Man was born from the dust and created a society. More and more, societies became communities, and then became kingdoms. However, along with man, another was born from the darkness._

 _Monsters coated in shadow, covered in white bone, arrived and waged war on Man. For generations, kingdoms fell as the monsters pushed forward with the goal to terminate humanity. All seemed lost, until the greatest discovery was made._

 _Dust, a form of energy, was unearthed to Man, and Man used this energy to push back the monsters. More and more came as the humans kept them away, until eventually, the monsters numbers dwindled significantly._

 _Out of this struggle, only four Kingdoms remained on this world, becoming places with the beacons of light to fight off the darkness. Man knew the monsters, now known as the Creatures of Grimm, will come back to destroy them, so in return, they prepared their response._

 _The Kingdoms created academies to train the next generations of warriors, Huntsmen and Huntresses, to fight against the Grimm. The warriors trained in both ancient and modern weaponry, created weapons that merge the two forms into a unique weapon._

 _For generations, peace came to man, until a horrible event occurred. During the 40_ _th_ _Vytal Festival, a Terrorist attack occurred on the Kingdom of Vale's Beacon Academy. Radical faunas of the Terrorist group the White Fang disrupted the ceremonies by unloading the Grimm on the school grounds, killing many of the next generation of Huntsmen. The protectors did what they could, but in the end, Beacon fell to the Grimm, and many suffered a heavy price._

 _One student perished during the battle against the mastermind of the attack, Cinder Fall, and the Kingdom of Vale has lost its beacon of light. However, in place of the tower, a frozen Grimm Dragon, the Wyvern, stood in its place. Beacon has now become a symbol of humanity's loss to the Grimm, and peace between the kingdoms has now wavered._

 _As of now, a small band of teenagers, former students of Beacon Ruby Rose, Jaune Arc, Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren, now travel to Mistral to uncover the true reason of the attack on Beacon. However, a wider battle is waged without Remnant's knowledge._

 _The planet itself is currently at the very edge of the Brisinger Star system, where it neighbors with the planets Al Shahal, Ragna, Voldor and various other worlds. Like Remnant, the planets are also inhabited by humans. However, the humans came from the planet Earth, a world ravaged from a war years ago by the Zentradi race. Now, humanity has reached peace with the Zentradi as well as other inhabitants of the other worlds._

 _Now, humanity fears attacks from the Var Syndrome, an illness that causes people to go out of control and incite terrorist attacks on the populace. No one knows the purpose of the Var, but they fear that one day, they will be infected by the virus. But like anything else, they have prepared a response._

 _A tactical sound unit with amplified fold waves, Walkure, are deployed to the Var incidents, and use their songs to nullify the effects and cure the people infected. Under the protection of the fighter squadron Delta Platoon, pilots of the VF-31 Seigfrieds, they challenge the Var with their songs, holding concerts on worlds under the risk of the virus._

 _It was only a matter of time before the Var reaches Remnant, and the fate of Ruby Rose and three others coincide with the Delta Platoon._

* * *

"Ruby, are you coming or not?"

A young girl was beside a slab of stone on the cliff, looking at the voice that called out to her. She was a young 15 year old girl wearing a black blouse and skirt with red trimmings, complete with a corset wrapped around her waist and a red hooded cloak on her shoulders. This girl is Ruby Rose, and she has a personal mission to complete.

Looking at the person who called out, she laid eyes on Jaune Arc, who also shares the same mission for a different reason. While Ruby wants to find the cause as to why the attack on Beacon Academy occurred, Jaune wants to get stronger in order to avenge the death of Pyrrha Nikos, a girl who confessed to him through a kiss. Along with his fellow Teammates Nora and Ren, he follows Ruby in order to find and kill Cinder.

"I'm coming, Jaune," Ruby said back to him, looking back at the grave stone with a named etched onto it. "I was just finishing up my talk with mom. She needs to know what I'm going to do."

"OK, well I'm going on ahead to meet up with Nora and Ren," he replied to her. "Whenever you're done, you know where we'll be."

She continued to looking at the stone as Jaune left her alone. On the stone marked " _Summer Rose, Thus Kindly, I scatter._ " Ruby never knew the truth as to why her mom suddenly disappeared when she was a toddler, but she accepted the fact that Summer is always watching over her. Placing a bouquet of roses on the stone, Ruby turned her back to it, giving it one more look before taking off to reach Jaune and the others.

Using her semblance, she sped through the snow covered forest until she reached the campsite, where Jaune was waiting with two others. The orange haired Nora Valkyrie and the jet black and magenta streaked haired Ren sat beside him as the former tried keeping up with her story. Ren however was cooking their meals in the fire, listening to whatever his childhood friend spoke about, usually making any corrections for her.

"And then," Nora went on with her story. "We received word that another group of Beowolves—"

"They were Ursai," he interrupted, ignored by the orange haired youth.

"Were heading over to the village that helped raised Ren and I, so we rushed over to get there before the monsters could start."

"The Ursai headed to the nearby settlement—"

"However, when we even got to the village, we were too late as the Beowolves began their slaughter. Coming up with a plan, Ren and I did what we could and took out most of their alphas."

"They went after the sap—"

"But then, out of nowhere, a strange fighter appeared in the village and flew into the village." She paused, looking serious while surprising the others. "This fighter wasn't like the Atlesian bullheads and assault carriers, and it resembled a mythical fighter."

"A mythical fighter," Jaune asked her, seeing her pass a detailed sketch of what she was referring to.

"Yeah, a mythical fighter I believe was called a Drakor, or uh… DRAKEN!" She went back to the story. "Anyways, this fighter began firing at the village, killing off all the Creatures of Grimm in it and some of the civilians… And then the unbelievable happened."

"Unbelievable," Ren asked, even more surprised after looking at the sketch Jaune passed around.

"Yeah. The thing actually transformed into a giant robot and landed in front of us. I was surprised that the thing towered over us, but then it aimed a gun looking thing at us and said, 'All of you tainted the wind, and I, the White Knight, shall cleanse it.' It then fired at us, and then all of a sudden, I woke up sweating."

"Something other than the Grimm or missing pancakes scares you," Ruby finally asks. "I mean, the other two I get, but what did that thing mean by 'tainting the wind?'"

"That was something I have been trying to figure out," Nora admitted, bringing her legs closer. "Even now, it kinda scares me."

"Well, we won't have to worry about it, Nora," Jaune spoke up, calming her. "I highly doubt this thing exists, and even if it did, either us or Atlas will take care of it."

"Jaune is right, Nora," Ren added. "Besides, we all know there is no such thing as a transforming robot. I'm sure it was just a bad pancake dream."

She could only laugh at the joke Ren made, but something didn't exactly sound right to Ruby. She dismisses it though, bringing out a map of Remnant and putting it beside her to look at their next step. Looking over her directions, she frowns over the fact that it will take a few days to reach Mistral on foot. The others caught wind of her frown, and so they moved over and comforted her. Nora went a step further and hugged her tightly, rubbing her back slowly.

"Thanks guys," Ruby said to them as they got off her. "I really need that. Now let's go get some sleep. We have a long walk ahead of us, and Mistral won't be leaving us behind."

* * *

The orbit of Remnant was like it has been: Lifeless and devoid of anything other than the asteroids and remains of its only moon. Not a single native fleet was near the planet's orbit, and the collective sound of space dust echoes the stars. It is and always will be an empty void… until now.

As of now, a warship of unknown origin is hovering in the asteroid fields, watching over the planet as a fighter plane flew close enough to get a scan of it. The fighter, colored yellow and sports a radar dish on it, flies in Remnant's orbit, and the number 03 was seen on the side near the cockpit. Human design in nature, it performs its purpose of scanning the planet for any 'incidents,' getting some surprising data in the process.

"Whoa," the pilot spoke out as he looked at the data. "Delta 03 to Aether, I am definitely showing signs that humans are on the planet. I repeat, there are humans living on the surface."

"Affirmative, Delta 03," the warship now identified as Aether responded. "That definitely proves that a portion of the Island Fortress fleet came and settled on the planet. Are you getting any signals or feint readings of the Var?"

"Negative, no readings so far." The pilot paused for a second. "So, when we're all done, how about a celebration at Ragnyannyan? You know, for finding a planet with human life we never knew?"

"As long as your special Fried Jellyfish is being served in the celebration, Chuck. Return to the Aether and arm up, just in case we get a surprise reading from the Var."

"Aye, Sir," the now Identified Chuck replied before flying back to the warship. Flying past the moon's debris, the fighter maneuvered itself until a set of arms and legs came out of it, allowing the fighter to strafe left and right. Moving like that until the Aether was in sight, the fighter brought the arms and legs back into it before accelerating to it, only to slow down as the Aether was closer.

"Good work, Chuck," The commanding officer congratulated him. "Let's get you informed on how we're going in if the Var strikes."

"Affirmative, Commander Molders," Chuck answered him. "I'll be sure to bring the crispy jellyfish."

* * *

As days flew by, Team RNJR continued their journey over to the Kingdom of Mistral, encountering any stray Creature of Grimm in their way. Beowolves and Ursai have hounded them for days since Ruby visited Summer's grave, only to be dispatched from the teen Huntsmen-in-training. From Nora's strength with the hammer Magnhild to Ruby's scythe Crescent Rose, no monster of darkness could stand in their way.

However, this day, everything will change for the worse. Surrounded by Grimm reinforcements, Ruby and her friends stood back to back to anticipate any attacks from the monsters. Looking tired, she tried to formulate a plan to fight off the beasts that outnumber them while rubbing her finger on her weapon's trigger.

"Jeez, there is no end with these guys," Jaune pointed out. "Just how many more are we going to fight before we fall?"

"Come on, Jaune," Nora spoke up, eyeing a Beowolf in the eyes. "Just think of this as a way to get stronger, so you can avenge Pyrrha."

"We have your back, Jaune," Ren added. "Nora, Ruby and I will be with you till the end, so don't you dare give up."

Out of nowhere, as no one made a single move, the sound of a young opera singer echoed across the land, surprising the former Beacon students. Nora looked around hastily to figure out where it is exactly coming from, only to see nothing. Meanwhile, Ren saw a sudden change in the Grimm's behaviour. When they were ferocious monsters beforehand, they are now whimpering and backing away, running back into the wilderness as the song continued.

"Is it just me, or did the Grimm…" Jaune started, shocked over the change in events.

"Yeah, they suddenly went scared and left us," Ruby finished for him before hearing an explosion faraway, looking over the horizon. "Wait… that smoke… it's coming from Mistral itself… don't tell me the White Fang…"

Without hesitating, she ran off into the direction the smoke trail is coming from with JN(P)R behind her. She didn't want to believe the White Fang started attacking another major Kingdom of Remnant and furthering the planet down to war. Determined as ever, she kept going as the sun started to set until she got to the town gate, horrified over the sight that is now in front of her.

Innocent civilians were now under attack not by the forces of the Fang, but by the Huntsmen and Huntresses of the kingdom. Each one of them looked monstrous as they attack the people, with eyes blind with rage, bulging muscles and visible veins all over their body. It didn't take long before one of them, a Huntsmen-in-training she met named Roy Stallion, noticed her and moved to fight her.

She didn't have time to react as Jaune moved in front and blocked his attack, surprised as he looked at how Roy looked now than before the Vytal Festival tragedy months ago. Despite that, he parried his attacks and swung Crocea Mors to keep him busy. The monster that is Roy dodged the attacks slightly before blindly attacking the blonde knight, not even registering Nora coming behind him and striking his side with Magnhild's grenade.

"Man, it's the Vytal Festival all over again," Nora pointed out, changing her weapon into hammer form. "However, instead of Grimm and White Fang, we now have rogue Huntsmen against us."

"We have to split up and gain more ground," Ren spoke up, suddenly being engaged by an enraged Sage. "Even Sun's team too?"

"Ruby, you go ahead and find out the cause," Jaune said to the redhead, surprised to see Roy getting back up. "We'll handle these guys. You get to the source."

"But," Ruby started, worried of them. "If I leave, how are—"

"JUST GET GOING!"

Looking down, the young girl sped into the center of the city as Jaune, Nora and Ren fought against the crazed Roy and Sage, jumping over the city debris and avoiding any conflicts with the crazed Huntsmen. Gunfire echoed across the city as she saw deceased civilians laying on the ground, reminding Ruby of the events that happened before at Beacon. She didn't pay any attention to what was in front of her, as she bumped into a metallic surface and fell on the ground. When she looked up, she was horrified as a giant robot emerged from the city underground, unfamiliar with the type and format of the machine.

"Oh my god… what in the world is that thing," she asked as the machine looked down at her and aimed its rifle at her. She caught feint lettering on the machine's leg, from _NUNS_ to _171-Nightmare_ on its chest. As the rifle got closer to the intended target, she was surprised to see bullets impacting its leg and destroying the weapon before another mech appeared.

The new fighter, sporting red, black and silver colors stopped the attacker before changing into a giant robot as well. Ruby was horrified as she remembered Nora's dream, but then remembered that the robot wasn't like the one in the drawing beforehand. When the 171(?) crashed to the ground immobilized, Ruby's savior looked at her with its red lens scaring her again.

" _Civilian, get out of here,_ " a voice came from the machine, causing her to leave and escape while it looked to see more mechs come out of the ground. " _This is Commander Arad Molders to Aether, requesting Walkure Deployment immediately. The Var has reached this planet and they're using VF-171s._ "

Ruby, paying no mind to the mech, continued to run for her life as more machines she now knows as VF-171s emerged from the ground until she slipped and fell underground. Her body impacted the hard rock and concrete as she descended down until she finally landed her back, giving her a flashback of Mountain Glenn from before. Getting up while in pain, she looked and saw that more VF-171s lie in dormant underneath the city, waiting to be used for a fight.

* * *

After telling that young girl to get out of the city, Arad continued his fight against the Var infected civilians as they pilot the VF-171 _Nightmares_ , destroying the gun pods and disabling the machines while not killing the people. He never liked the idea of killing innocent people, even if they were infected by the unknown virus. By disabling the Nightmares, he is accomplishing his goal of no civilians harmed by him and his unit.

He continued his fight against the controlled VF-171s as they emerge from the ground, shifting his VF-31 Seigfried from Battroid mode to Gerwalk mode to suit his needs of speed. Looking while engaging, he found three other Seigfrieds entering the city from the skies with the shuttle containing their ultimate weapon against the Var. He smirked at the sight until the sound of gunfire returned his mind to the battle.

" _Commander Molders,_ " A familiar female voice entered his coms as he fought. " _Did I hear someone requesting our assistance?_ "

"Couldn't wait for a better time, Kaname," he answered he, disabling another Var infected's Nightmare while being shot by another. "I was just… getting acquainted with the locals."

" _Ehehehe, well, you'll get your wish. Enjoy the songs of the Superdimension Venus Walkure._ "

* * *

Fighting against a crazed Roy Stallion wasn't part of Jaune's plan of getting stronger, but he knew that he had to be taken down before moving on. Parrying and using what Pyrrha taught him, the blonde swordsman began pushing back the out of control Huntsman until had found the strength to take him down. His victory was short lived as he saw unknown giant robots emerging from underneath Mistral, freaked out over the design of them. He was reminded of the dream Nora had days ago, and thought that these things were connected to the supposed 'White Knight.'

However, he saw more fighters coming from the sky escorting a weird looking shuttle, freaking out as the new combatants sprouted arms and legs and landed in the city. When they landed, the new machines began engaging the ones that came from underground, firing strange guns that were attached on the arms. He then felt the ground shift as another underground robot emerged underneath him, causing to fall with the broken down road. He never met his end, as one of the sky fighters, one in grey, white and black colors and donning a Grim Reaper emblem caught and placed him safely on the building.

" _Civilians have no place here in a battlefield,_ " A male voice was heard from his 'savior.' " _Get to a safe place. Let us and Walkure handle those infected by the Var._ "

"Var? Walkure," Jaune asked the machine, not understanding what it meant. "Just what the hell are you talking about?"

 _ **Kiss, Kiss, feel love  
Kiss, Kiss, feel love**_

Right as he asked, the sound of music now echoed from the battlefield as the fighter left to face the underground robots. Jaune never heard this type of music before. But when he was about to question it, Roy emerged again from the rubble and began his assault against the knight. Suddenly, as the music began to pick up, Jaune suddenly found himself fighting in sync with the song as ice shards came down on Roy.

"Jeez, you can be such a dolt, Jaune," A familiar voice came from behind, making him look to see Weiss with Myrtenaster.

"Weiss," he questioned, not believing his sight. "How are you here—"

"We have no time to talk, Jaune. We have a battle to win."

Nodding in agreement, Jaune allowed the white haired youth join him as Roy got back up from the surprise attack. The crazed man clutched his head in pain as the song continues to echo in the battlefield before launching himself at the duo. Weiss somewhat anticipated the attack, and so she used her semblance and launched herself up as Jaune took the brunt of the attack and parry him back.

Both of them continued to push Roy back as the song now has more of an effect on the latter. However, they couldn't get more ground as a girl with long light violet haired girl appeared in front of them. They were going to warn her, but they found out that she is one of the unknown singers and saw that Roy was changing again. The veins that were visible in his skin suddenly disappeared as his muscles returned to normal. To add the effect, he was able to regain his senses, looking around to see the ongoing chaos happening.

"Wha…" he started. "What was I… doing?"

"Looks like the Var Syndrome inside you is null now," The unknown girl said to him, looking at Weiss and Jaune. "Like my friend in the Seigfried said, you better get to a safer place."

With that said, the girl suddenly emitted a glow around her body before jumping and flying off, continuing her part of the song and leaving the three of them. Weiss and Jaune were confused as to what she meant, but as Huntsmen-in-training, they have a duty to protect the people. Roy, however, was grateful to what the girl did for him, and made his way out of the city.

"Var," Jaune started. "Is Var like a Grimm born virus?"

"I don't know, Jaune," Weiss answered before looking at him. "I heard that Ruby was with you. Where is she?"

"She left as I fought against Roy. I think she headed to the center, but I don't know exactly."

Suddenly, the ground underneath them gave away, and the two of them bore witness to another underground robot emerging a few feet beside them. Both of them saw the wordings _NUNS_ and _VF-171 Nightmare_ on the leg and left chestplate, and they immediately became afraid over the height of the machine. However, they never expected it to ignore them as it looked into the battlefield.

" _Weiss, Jaune,_ " Ruby's voice was heard from it. " _I'm glad to see that you two are safe._ "

"Ruby," Weiss asked, not believing that Ruby is in it. "What is going on, and why are you in that giant robot? How did you even get it?"

" _Well, it's nice to see you too, Ice Queen, but to answer your question, I found this thing under the city. I… I think this was made by humans._ "

"Impossible. Only Atlas has the tech to make something like this. What are you going to—"

The sound of gunfire interrupted them as bullets suddenly appeared and almost hit them, causing Ruby to move the robot and dodge the attacking robot. The way she was handling the machine surprised her two friends and the sky fighters as they all saw her move against the attacker. One of them, a yellow machine with a radar scanner appeared and assisted Ruby in disarming the attacking mech while Ruby used the gun pod to shoot down the legs.

" _Delta 03, establishing communications connection to the VF-171 pilot,_ " Ruby's assisting fighter pilot appeared on her screens, surprised to see Ruby herself. " _Huh, a young girl? I wasn't expecting you to fly a Valkyrie._ "

"This is my first time, so give me a break," she pouted. "And my name's Ruby… Ruby Rose, and I have a duty as a Huntress to see that these people are safe."

" _Well, I guess that makes us allies then. Name's Chuck Mustang, Delta 03._ "

"What is going on here, Chuck," She asked the pilot, moving to shoot and disable another machine. "What is wrong with the people?"

" _They are infected with the Var Syndrome, young one. No one knows where it came from, but this planet is now affected by its appearance._ "

"Waitwaitwait, PLANET?"

" _Yeah, planet."_ Chuck paused to move and disable another attacking VF-171. " _This planet is on the edge of the Brisinger Star System, and like my home and others, this place can be affected by the Var. Our duty is to_ —"

" _Our duty is to safeguard Walkure and fight against the Var infected,_ " the voice belong to the pilot of the other sky fighter with the Grim Reaper emblem. " _Make sure not to get in the way of our operation, pilot._ "

It then flew off to take on any more mechs that emerged from the ground, and Ruby was annoyed by the man's attitude. She never like people who thought they were better like Cardin, but unlike the bully, the pilot was able to prove to her that he knows what he was doing. Determined, she began to mess around with the controls, seeing her robot shift into Fighter mode and fly into the sky.

"WHOA," she shouted as she flew up, seeing Chuck's fighter beside her.

" _Easy there,_ " He spoke up. " _Just calm yourself and look at your controls more carefully. But since we don't have time, just follow my lead._ "

With that said, Chuck flew right in front of her before sprouting the arms and legs, arming them with side guns and shot at the VF-171s gun pods and legs to disable them. Following his lead, Ruby was able to copy what he did and disabled a few Var Infected controlled mechs. She kept this up while Chuck provided cover, occasionally watching each other's backs.

" _Commander Molders to all Seigfried pilots and ally Nightmare pilot,_ " An older male's voice echoed in the speakers as the screen flared, revealing a middle aged man. " _Var Syndrome fold levels are now completely down. I repeat, the Var has been quelled._ "

To prove his point, Ruby saw images of the infected on the ground returning to their senses before sighing in relieve. She then followed Chuck down to the ground before landing, seeing four girls finishing the song that echoed across the ravaged city. She thought that they were civilians as well, until she saw that they got in the unknown shuttle. She put that behind as she landed, surprised to see Jaune, Weiss, Nora and Ren run up to her.

" _Are they your friends,_ " Chuck asked her through the coms.

"Yup," she answered as her mech's feet touched the ground. "They're my friends from school, and fellow Huntsmen and Huntresses-in-training."

* * *

The damage done to the Kingdom of Mistral's main city was chaotic, and Ruby felt like she had somewhat failed again. She knew that she did everything to ensure that everyone would be saved, but that didn't stop her from looking at the civilians that died. Still, she knows that that the Grimm or the White Fang had nothing to do with the attack, as she learned that it was caused by a virus called the Var Syndrome.

She was being comforted by Weiss the whole time she settled on the ground, and she learned why her old teammate was in Mistral. Supposedly, Weiss' father had sent her to make official business deals with clients, and she was there when the Var began its work. Weiss was composed throughout most of the battle, but faltered when the VF-171s came out from underground.

Ruby was currently gathering her thoughts when footsteps were heard, making her look at the two people in front of her. One of them was a middle aged man with red hair and a beard, while the other man was young. What shocked her was that the second person had gills on his neck and barnacle like dreadlocks.

"Are you Miss Ruby Rose," the older of the two asked her, getting a nod in response. "I see, so you are the girl that Chuck told me about: The girl who suddenly managed to have luck in piloting a Valkyrie, no less a VF-171 Nightmare."

"Is that what the thing I used called," she asked him.

"Correct, and you showed some amazing skill, despite it being your first time." He then remembered something. "I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Arad Molders, and I am the commanding officer of Delta Platoon. And I believe that you have already met Chuck."

"Aye, sir," the second man spoke in a familiar tone Ruby heard during battle. "I must say, you handled yourself real well with that Valkyrie, and keeping those infected alive for Walkure to cure with their songs."

"How can songs cure infected," Weiss asked, not believing them.

"Well, Walkure's songs have a special effect on the fold waves present in people, and if the Var hear them, the fold waves return them to normal."

"In other words, Walkure is pretty much our ultimate weapon against the Var," Arad finished for Chuck. "Anyways, I actually have a proposition for you, Miss Rose."

"A proposition… for me," Ruby asked the man, wide eyed.

"Yup. How would you like to come fly with us in Delta? You have the skills, but lack proper guidance. We also have the tools needed to supply you with what you need to make a custom Seigfried Valkyrie."

Ruby could only go wide eyed over the thought of customizing a fighter. "Really? You would let me?"

"As long as Makina watches over your progress."

"OK," she answered him, only to look down. "Can I talk to my father and sister about this? I think they should have a right to know."

"Allow me to come along as well," Weiss spoke up, surprising them. "You'll need someone to remind Ruby about meetings and the like, and I happened to be her teammate from school. Please allow me to come along."

"Well…" Arad spoke out, only to see her bowing to him. "Well, I don't see why not. I can't deny friends being separated." He then walked over to his parked VF-31. "Come on in, Miss Rose. I'll fly you over to where your family lives."

Ruby couldn't keep the man waiting for long, so she hugged Weiss and JN(P)R before running over to the mech. She didn't want to use her semblance, opting to run at normal speed before getting in the cockpit's back seat. She then fastened herself into the seat as the cockpit closed itself and the engine started to roar. She then saw that they were getting back up in the skies as the elder pilot changed the VF-31's settings to Fighter mode.

"Messer, I need you, Chuck and Mirage watch over Walkure and the other new girl," Arad spoke on the coms. "I'm going to meet with Miss Rose's family before returning to the Aether. Until then, you're in charge, Delta 02."

With that said, he then flew off into the horizon, and Ruby's new adventure has begun.

* * *

 **A/N: I'll be honest, I didn't suffer from Writer's block or laziness when I typed up this chapter, and now I have a perfect (somewhat) setup for this fic. That, and the fact that I have been listening to a Walkure song from a clip in Macross Delta kept me going. So, I guess that music does have that magic.**

 **Anyways, this is a test to see how this will go along. I'll be posting it on the main RWBY Archive, but it will obviously be a RWBYxMacross Delta crossover.**

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter. What do you think? Leave a review, follow and/or favorite.**

 **With that out of the way, I am BlazefireDrago, signing out.**


	2. Trip to Ragna

**Disclaimer: RWBY is owned by Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth, while Macross is owned by Shoji Kawamori and Satelight Inc.**

* * *

Yang has never been the same since the attack on Beacon Academy, particularly because of losing her arm. She has always dreamed of being a Huntress for the thrill of the adventure, but when she went to save Blake, she lost her arm to her attacker. After that, her personality became the complete opposite of what she used to be. She has since divided the blame on herself and Blake on that day, for rushing in on herself and leaving her behind on Blake.

Since then, all she has ever done was sitting up in her bed, looking out over the window to the sight of the snowed forestry around her. Never bothering with getting up, she looked out while the sound of footsteps was heard, turning her head to see her father walk in. She then saw a plate of what appeared to be a cooked breakfast for her. All she did was look back at the window while her father, Taiyang, frowned at the sight.

"Yang," he started. "I know it has been a while, but I would like it if you at least ate something."

"I'm not hungry," she said while not looking at him. "I don't have much of an appetite."

"Yang… you need to eat something. You're worrying me with that attitude."

"I'm not hungry right now," she looks back at him, her lilac eyes red from holding back her tears. "I'll eat when I feel like it, so don't worry about it right now."

Taiyang could only frown further as she went back to looking out the window, deciding to place her food on the side table beside her bed. Looking at her, he can't help but feel a sense of failure of keeping her safe again. Reminded of the tragedy years ago of when she left to find her mother, he made a promise to himself never to let his daughters come to harm. Now, he feels the promise was broken when Yang's arm was lost and Ruby leaving on a journey.

His thoughts were immediately silenced as he heard an unusual sound coming from outside, making him look out the window with her. Surprising him was a fighter plane adorning red, white, black and grey colors lowering down to their lawn. Both of their shock increased as a pair of arms and legs sprouted from it before landing beside their home. When the cockpit suddenly opened, they were surprised further when Ruby came out of it along with someone else from the pilot's seat.

"No way," Tai heard Yang speak up in shock. "Didn't I hear you say that Ruby left on a journey? How did she get back here in that… that thing?"

He didn't have time to answer his oldest daughter, opting to run out to question the young redhead. Bursting out of the bedroom door and sprinting downstairs, Taiyang was desperate to get answers as to why she left. Bursting out the door leading to the outside, he immediately hugged Ruby as she walked towards the house, tackling her down to the ground.

"GAAHHH," she shouted as she hit the ground first. "D-dad, what are you—"

"Ruby Rose," he interrupted her. "How could you leave us like that? Why did you go on that stupid journey to Mistral? Did you even stop to think about your actions, or did you listen to that damned idiot Qrow again?"

"Dad, I only wanted—"

"I don't want to hear it, Ruby," he interrupted her, not letting her say a word. "I want you to think about the consequences of your actions. You almost gave me a heart attack, for crying out loud."

"Dad…" she looked down in shame. "I'm sorry, but things happened, and I…"

"Um, am I interrupting something," Taiyang looked at the new speaker, a middle aged man with red hair. "Cause I actually came here with Miss Rose to give some news to you."

"Who the hell are you," the father asked him. "I don't recall meeting you before."

"The name's Arad Molders, sir, and I flew her over to talk to you, Mister…"

"Taiyang," he introduced himself to the pilot. "Taiyang Xiao Long, and you can talk after I deal with my daughter."

"The news I bring are important, and it involves Miss Rose and a deal she agreed with me."

"A deal," Taiyang muttered before letting go of Ruby and allowing them in. He is still sour over the fact that Ruby had left without his permission, but inside he was happy that she came back to him safely. He then looked at the unusual machine that was parked on his lawn before going back inside the house.

* * *

Ruby intently listened to everything as Arad explained all he knew to her father. She was surprised as he was when the commander told them that humans originated from the planet Earth, and that Remnant could have been a planet colonized by a Frontier fleet. She then listened on as Arad told Taiyang about the current struggle with the Var Syndrome, and about the deal he made about her becoming a Valkyrie pilot.

Taiyang, however, never believed a word about humanity's origins, always telling the veteran that 'mankind came from Dust,' and that Earth was only a myth. His claims were put down when Arad showed a holographic image of the galaxy, pointing out the planet's location and where Remnant was located. At some point, Yang came in and listened to them as well, wondering what the commotion was all about.

They then heard about what had happened in the Kingdom of Mistral, detailing the Var Syndrome's appearance on the planet and the damage that occurred. To further prove his point, Arad played the recording from his Valkyrie on the attack, shocking them when the VF-171s emerged from the ground and how Ruby performed with piloting the machine. To say the surprise unexpected as both blondes looked at the young redhead.

"And so that is where we stand," Arad spoke up, bringing their attention back. "I firmly believe that Miss Rose has what it takes to become a Valkyrie pilot and, with our proper guidance, help us contain the Var Syndrome plaguing us."

"But in order for you to do that," Taiyang began. "You intend to take Ruby away from Remnant and into the unknown, fighting whatever this Var is? And you expect me to let you take her away?"

"That is not what I am implying, Mister Xiao Long. I am saying that Ruby would be staying with us on our base of operations on Ragna. She even agreed to join us."

"I don't care what you say. Ruby is not going with you to fight god knows what. She is staying here, and she will not leave my sight." He then looked away for a second. "I have already lost two people I care about, and I am not letting her become the third."

"It's understandable that you worry about her. It is a parent's job after all."

"Dad," Yang decided to join in on the conversation. "There wouldn't be a problem at all if I were to go with her? At least then, Ruby wouldn't have to worry about being alone."

"Yang, do you even understand what you're saying," Taiyang asked the blonde. "You already lost an arm back at Beacon. If you two go, there wouldn't be anything left of you if you die out in the unknown."

"I am aware of my loss, dad, but think about it this way: if this Var whatever syndrome strikes Remnant again, we would be ready to come back and fight it head on. Besides…" she looks at the stub on her right arm. "I did a lot of thinking on what I'm going to do, and I decided to support my little sister."

"Yang," Ruby spoke out her name, surprised to hear her older sister say that.

"And judging by that thing that is parked on our lawn dad, I think they could outfit me with a cool prosthetic."

Their father could only look down in thought over Yang's revelation, thinking about the worst possible outcome. He had already lost Summer when she died on a mission years ago and Raven when she disappeared from his life, so the thought of losing his daughters in outer space was horrifying to him. On the other hand, he was happy that Yang would offer herself to look over Ruby while they are away. Letting out a heavy breath, he looks at the man that brought Ruby home with a steel look and his final thoughts.

"You better keep your word to me, Arad Molders," Taiyang spoke out to him. "Make sure my daughters make it out alive, and bring them home when this Var business is over."

"I assure you, Mister Xiao Long, that I'll keep my promise," he assured the father. "I'll shape them into the Valkyrie pilots we are, and they will make it back home to you." He then gets up from his seat and looks at the two girls. "I suggest you start packing your things. Your ride will be here in a few minutes."

* * *

After saying their goodbyes to their father, both Yang and Ruby are surprised to be riding in the same shuttle as the singers of Walkure. However, Yang was shocked to see that Weiss Schnee herself was traveling with them again, bringing the thought that RWBY would be back together. The thought was immediately dismissed when she remembered Blake leaving them behind after the attack on Beacon, and so she clenched her left hand into a fist when an image of her popped up in her head.

The thoughts were immediately gone when she saw that they have left Remnant's skies, taking in the view of the void of outer space. Looking out the window, Yang saw that they were moving away from the surface of the planet and towards the asteroid field orbiting around it. She then looked over to Ruby, seeing that her eyes were glued to their new atmosphere around them. She then looked back out to see a warship waiting for them with the docking bay open for their shuttle.

"There's the Aether," the two sisters turned around to look at a girl with pink pigtails speaking to them. "That is what we used to travel to your planet. That ship can house a whole battalion of Valkyries and a few Destroids in the hangers."

"Of course, that is also any place for us to perform," another girl with green hair spoke up this time. "We would perform our songs on the built in stage if we were to deal with the Var in outer space. Of course, that hasn't happened yet so far."

"Um, I don't think we have met before," Yang pointed out to them. "I'm Yang… Yang Xiao Long."

"In that case," the first girl piped up as she raised her hand. "I'm Makina Nakajima, a member of Walkure, as well as the Valkyrie mechanic. And since you girls might be our new pilots, if you need anything, you can ask me."

"And I'm Reina Prowler," the other girl introduced herself to them. "Like Makina, I am also a part of Walkure, but besides that, I'm an experienced hacker. Give me a word if you need some technical advice."

"And then there is Mikumo Guynemer and Kaname Buccaneer, our lead singer and head of Walkure respectively." Makina then looked at Ruby. "You must be the girl that piloted that VF-171 Nightmare that helped contain the Var outbreak on the surface, right? Ahh, Ruby Rose?"

"Yeah," the young girl replied, nervously laughing. "I just had blind luck when I used that thing. What was the cool looking one that flew me back home?"

"That would be the VF-31 Seigfried, Ruru. The ones used by the Delta Platoon are the more special that the other, mainly because I was the one who customized those Valkyries."

"Wait, you were the one who customized them?"

"Yup, Yours truly, Makimaki, designed and developed those Valkyries." She pointed her finger at herself. "I am what you call a genius when it comes to technology."

"OK, OK," Yang interrupted them, more worried about Ruby's sanity after hearing the word 'customized.' "I think we can give my little sister a break, so why not save the chitchat for later?"

" _We will be docking with the Aether soon,_ " The intercom bursted out, calming the girls. " _I repeat, we will be docking with the Aether._ "

"I'll let you all have a look around while I tinker and repair the VF-31s," Makina told them. "Remember to ask us for anything you need. Ooh, I recommend looking out the window when we make a Fold jump."

With that said, Makina left the two sisters alone with Reina, allowing Ruby and Yang to look at each other and laugh at the pinkhead's attitude. They have heard people with a similar attitude like Nora and Neon Katt, but meeting Makina really gave them more of a laugh. They were able to calm down when the shuttle got inside the Aether, picking up their things and left with Weiss to get off.

True to Makina's word, when they took a step out of the shuttle into the hangar bay, they saw a stockpile of VF-31 Seigfrieds docked and being worked on along with what appeared to be large assault combat walkers. Yang vaguely remembered the design of the Atlesian Paladin, having fought some before, but as she looked at the machine, she couldn't help but picture it crushing the Paladin in one stomp.

Ruby however was looking over the sleek designs of the VF-31s' fighter modes and the color designs, and couldn't help but picture hers in an all-black and red color scheme with her rose emblem etched onto it. Remembering Makina's words, she thought she could ask her if it would be possible to recreate Crescent Rose for the Valkyrie to use, even lending the scythe she has with her. She then thought that she would help with the design so they could make it work.

Ruby then stopped walking as she laid eyes on four different VF-31s in front of her, each donning a different color scheme than the other. Eyeing them closely, she noticed that they all had the Delta insignia on them on the side of the cockpit. The one directly in front of her was in a full black and red color scheme, while the other three were in an ice blue and white, grey and violet, with the last being yellow with a black stripe on the wings. Traces of dust were seen on the machines, telling her that they have never been used for a while.

"Those machines were originally used by four others, back when Delta Platoon was an eight man squad," she turned around to see Arad walking to her with a redhead girl beside him. "However, the pilots were caught in an incident and… unfortunately died."

"Oh," Ruby said, looking down. "I didn't know…"

"It's OK. I'm sure they're watching over us somehow, making sure we don't screw up. And I'm surprised that you'll find these Valkyries. Everyone pretty much forgot about them."

"It has been a long time since Delta had them in operation," The red headed girl beside him spoke up, offering her hand to Ruby. "Name's Kaname, and I heard all about you, Miss Ruby Rose."

"How does everyone know about me," she asked the two of them.

"Well, it's not every day that we hear about a young girl who not only piloted one of Man's sophisticated mechs, but used it to combat the Var Syndrome. You're now practically the talk of the show here in the Aether."

"O-oh…" Ruby blushed as she looked down after hearing about the praise, looking back at them after glimpsing at the Valkyries behind her. "I-if you don't mind me asking… how did the pilots… die?"

Kaname could only look at Molders, who answered for her. "They fell in battle, back when we dealt with a Var controlled Zentradi force near the planet Alfheim. We gained Messer back then, but lost the other four pilots as a result."

"I'm sorry. I-I didn't know…"

"It's fine," Kaname assured her. "And since you joined Delta…" she walks over to place her hand on Ruby's shoulder, "you have the honors of carrying on their memories… by piloting one of those Seigfrieds. Now, you better get to the bridge if you want to see your first Fold jump."

Ruby nodded to what Kaname said to her and used her semblance to speed through the armory, surprising both her and Molders with the rose petals. The singer could only giggle over the shenanigan that Ruby pulled while Arad grabbed and opened a bag of fried jellyfish, intent on eating it. One thought quickly came to the both of them, and they looked at each other with a nervous expression.

"We, uh… forgot to tell her where the bridge was, didn't we," Kaname asked the older male.

"Yeah, we forgot."

* * *

After asking for directions for where the bridge was from the various crewmembers, Weiss was the first to reach the destination, followed by Yang. She wasn't surprised to see the layout of the room of the ship, noting some various similarities with the Atlesian battleships that hover Remnant's surface. The only difference she could point out was that the Aether can actually be in outer space, while her homeland's fleet couldn't even reach orbit.

She then turned around to see Ruby enter the bridge last, breathing heavily from running too much. The Schnee decided not to lecture the young girl until everything has been settled on where they will be staying for their time out of Remnant. She then looked over to Yang, who could only shrug her shoulders over seeing Ruby out of breath.

"OK, I have a pretty clear idea, but why were you late," the heiress asked the young girl. "Don't tell me you stopped to ogle the machines these guys have."

"Well, that was one reason," she answered back, finally regaining her breath. "I was actually lost on my way here, so I had to ask the people all over the ship just to get here."

"OK, why am I not surprised?" Weiss facepalmed, shaking her head. "Honestly, I don't even know why you were made our team leader back at Beacon—" she stopped herself, looking somber. "Right… you always come up with a plan. If only we had known about the..."

"There is no point in remembering your mistakes," they looked at the new speaker, surprising Weiss with her appearance. "The past is there for you to build yourself. It only takes the knowledge and the skills to make a better tomorrow." She then offered her hand to them. "Mikumo Guynemer, a pleasure."

"You're the girl that stopped Jaune and I from attacking Roy," Weiss pointed out to Mikumo, seeing her smile. "Why did you do that? You can't just jump into a battle like that."

"It was the only way to quell the Var Syndrome in that man, not that you know anything about the illness anyways. It was by chance that your home, the planet on the edge of the Brisingr cluster, became a target."

"Let's not already go into the hostilities here, girls," Yang stepped in between them. "We're here to better know one another while we… travel… to another world. Great, now that I say that, it feels weird."

"You'll get used to it," Mikumo told her, walking up to the view. "Well, since you three are now here, we can get started with the Fold jump."

Right as she said that, the three girls looked on as a portal appeared right in front of the Aether, shocking them with the size. Ruby and Yang took a step forward in awe over the sight while Weiss, being cautious, backed up a little before hitting her back on the wall. Mikumo could only watch in amusement over the girls reactions as the Aether got closer until it entered the portal, now in a tunnel that is covered in a violet hue.

Ruby and Yang then walked forward a little further to see the extent of the tunnel, eyes widening as the Aether is surrounded by the phenomenon. Even the heiress was intrigued with the way the Fold jump was executed and, driven by interest, joins the two sisters in seeing the view. As of that moment, they were now considered the first people of Remnant to travel into space.

"It's so pretty," Ruby spoke up, still in awe. "The whole thing looks amazing."

"Yeah," her sister agreed with her, placing her left hand on her shoulder. "Just think of all the crazy space adventures we're going to have. We're practically the first… Renmans to leave home and travel to other worlds."

"Remnans," Mikumo whispered to herself. "Fitting for them, since they said the planet's name is Remnant."

" _We will be arriving at Ragna in five minutes_ ," the girls heard, surprising them with the time limit. " _I repeat, we will be arriving at Ragna in five minutes._ "

"That fast," Weiss blurted out. "I was under the impression that the planets are separated a lot farther."

"They are," Mikumo answered. "In fact, the planets are light years away from each other. Travelling the normal way would have taken at least a few months to a year. Thanks to the advancements of Fold technology, we can travel to other worlds in less time."

"You keep bringing up folding, ma'am. What is that exactly?"

"You're better off asking one of the technicians or Kaname about Fold jumps. I'm only here to sing and null the Var."

"Weiss, we'll be getting a full explanation when we get to Ragna," Ruby said to her, walking away from the view. "Besides, aren't you excited that we're going to another world?"

"Only you could be excited for this kind of thing, Ruby."

"Are they always like this," Mikumo asked Yang, who also looked away from the view.

"Yeah, it's pretty much always like this," the blonde answered the singer, putting her only hand on her hip. "At least it's better than when they first met. I mean, on the first day at our school, Beacon, Ruby literally blew up in front of Weiss and left a crater behind."

"A crater?" the violet head then chuckled to herself. "So, they're like Makina and Reina. How interesting."

* * *

When they got to Ragna, RW(B)Y was completely surprised over the planet's appearance. In orbit, the planet looked almost like Remnant, only that the planet is mostly water. But when they reached the surface, they were shocked to see a settlement surrounding a dome like structure in the water. Looking closer, they found out that the dome itself is actually holding a city inside of it, and that they were told that it was called an 'Island Ship.' But what shocked them the most was where the Aether was going.

Right in front of the ship stood a sight that Ruby, Weiss and Yang will never forget: A towering robot that stood tall on the surface of the planet. When the Aether turned around, facing its engines towards it, it began to shift itself, telling the girls that it is a part of the colossal mech. There was a little shock when the Aether 'docked' with it, but then it settled quickly as the ship's purpose was complete.

" _Attention, the Aether has reconnected with the Macross Elysion,_ " the coms burst to life. " _I repeat, the Aether has reconnected with the Macross Elysion._ "

"Macross… Elysion," Weiss said in shock. "I think I may have seen the name 'Macross' in my father's study years ago. However, I don't know what a Macross is, anyways."

"Macross is a term used to identify certain warships," the girls saw Kaname enter, holding a data pad that looked like a scroll to them. "It derived from when humans first discovered a crashed alien vessel and rebuilt it, calling it the SDF-1 'Macross.' Since then, the following ships built in its image now incorporated the Macross name."

"And we just docked with it?"

"Of course. The Aether is actually a part of the Elysion." She then turned around, facing the door. "Well, since we are now on Ragna, I will take you to the captain. He is already informed of your presence, and requests an audience with you."

"Well," Weiss puts a hand on her hip. "We better not keep him waiting. Ruby, Yang, we're going to leave you behind."

"LIKE HELL YOU ARE," Yang shouted as the heiress left, catching up to her and Kaname with Ruby.

The walk took a while for them to reach their destination, but as they reached the exit leading to the Macross Elysion's interior, they noticed that there was a brand on most of the crew's uniforms. Yang took note that the brand had significance to the people working here, but then saw that it was also on Kaname's uniform. She then thought that Kaname and the rest of Walkure were part of the group, judging by how familiar the girl is with the workers.

Her thoughts dispersed when the doors open, allowing them access into the Elysion itself. They were impressed with the design the hallways took on, but saw that the rest were like it. They continue to pass through each of the rooms of the base, from the briefing rooms to a rec room Yang will break into. They then entered a room where rows of chairs were seen, with banners saying 'Walkure recruitment' hanging overhead and flags staying by the door. They all wondered why they would be in the room, since they don't plan on becoming members of the idol group.

"OK, I may be the only one," Ruby started. "But I don't think that we would be accepted into your group, Kaname. No offence."

"None taken," the singer nodded. "The auditions for the fifth member of Walkure will start in a few weeks, so until then, this room isn't being used."

"A fifth member," Yang asked her. "Why exactly do you need a fifth member anyways?"

"In case the Var starts to spread faster. We need all we could get to combat the menace."

"At least we don't have to worry about the Grimm anymore," Ruby spoke up again, surprising Yang and Weiss. "When Jaune, Nora, Ren and I were near Mistral, the Grimm came and attacked us, only for them to run away scared at the same time the Var came."

"Maybe," Yang whispered to herself in thought, only to hear the door open again. To say she was shocked would be an understatement, as she had laid eyes on another new sight. Entering the room was a man that stood up at a towering height of 227 centimetres. His attire consisted of a typical uniform fitting for a captain, complete with a set of medals on his left breast. His skin, unlike the normal human beige tone, was a greenish tone. The man grinned as the girls, excluding Kaname, were scared.

"Ahh, Captain," Kaname started, causing the girls to go wide eyed. "I see you made it." She then turned around to face RW(B)Y. "Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee and Yang Xiao Long, I would like you to meet…"

"Ernest Johnson," The man introduced himself, standing proud in front of them. "Captain of the Macross Elysion, and the one in charge of Chaos' Ragna division. I heard from Commander Molders that you wish to be a part of the Delta Platoon?"

"Y-yes, that is correct, sir," Ruby said quickly, causing the man to laugh.

"Relax, you are here with friends. There's no need to be nervous around me."

"I am so sorry," she bowed to him, making him laugh more. "I-I-It's just that w-we have never seen someone like you before."

"I understand. I happen to be the first Zentradi you three have laid eyes on, huh." He then went serious. "Now, I understand that after observing Molder's video recording of Miss Rose piloting a VF-171 to help stop the Var Syndrome from causing more damage, making her qualified to join Delta. All I want to know is your ambitions. Why do you three wish to be Valkyrie pilots?"

"Well," the young girl started. "I was always listened to mom and Yang read books to me when I was young. Stories about how the heroes fought to protect the innocent and did what was right. That was my ambition when I wanted to become a Huntress to fight Grimm, and that will be the same for here."

"You wish for a happy ending? You know the real world isn't always like that."

"I know that, sir." She shed a single tear. "I knew because I saw my friend die in front of me, fighting for what she believed in. But I know that deep down, I know that that is why we're here: to make everything better."

"I see." Ernest then looked at Weiss. "And you?"

"Well," the white haired girl started. "At a young age, I have always been taught by my father to be perfect in everything. I have trained… I have studied… and yet, I know I'll never be perfect."

"Nothing is never perfect."

"I am aware of that, sir." She paused to take a breath before continuing. "After being second to Ruby in the team selections and a lesson from a professor, I realized that I don't have to be perfect at everything. I now know that instead of trying to be perfect, I decided to assist Ruby and the team in anything that requires my expertise. I will not abandon them, and so I wish to become a pilot as well."

Ernest nodded at her answer, satisfied with what she said before looking at Yang. "And now you. What is your ambition for joining Chaos?"

"My ambition," the blonde whispered before looking down. "Before then, I have always wanted to be Huntress just for the thrill of the adventure. Go anywhere that would give me that high of excitement before going back home. However… After what happened back at school, I lost my arm to a faunas terrorist that knew my partner. My life went to a complete reversal afterwards."

"I see," Ernest bowed his head in respect.

"However," she surprised him by going forward. "After hearing about what happened at Mistral. About this Var thing that affected the Huntsmen there… and hearing about what Ruby did… I wouldn't live with myself if I let her go off on her own and get killed on me and dad. So, I persuaded my dad to let me go with her. I won't let a missing arm hinder me from protecting my baby sister."

"That's very admirable of you, Miss Xiao Long. And don't you worry about the missing arm part. We'll get Makina into making a prosthetic right away." He then presses a button on the wall, allowing the floor to open up and reveal tables with folded uniforms on them. "As of this moment, you are now a part of Chaos. You have to take orders from Commander Molders and myself at all times."

"Wait, does that mean," Weiss started, only to be interrupted by the captain.

"Yes, your ambitions persuaded me." He then looks at Kaname. "Have either Messer Ihlefeld or Mirage Genius train them to be pilots. I want them in top shape in time for the Al Shahal operation."

"Sir," Kaname saluted to the captain before leaving.

"And as for you three," Ernest looked at the girls again. "I expect nothing but the best from you. That is all."

"Sir," they all started in sync before going in a salute. "Yes sir.

* * *

 **A/N: I had to think and brainstorm for a while to get this chapter to work, but I think it worked out so far.**

 **So now the three girls of RWBY are on Ragna, where they will be staying for the next while. But what about Blake? Where could she be? All will be revealed in due time.**

 **When I was typing up the chapter, I figured out why I was suffering from Writer's block. I believe the cause is that I am overthinking the ideas needed to write down the chapters, and that it has all become a jumbled mess. No worries, I am still working hard on remedying that, but like that, Remnant Crisis and Remnant to Earth will be on Hiatus.**

 **I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. What do you think? Leave a review, favorite and/or follow.**

 **With that out of the way, I'm BlazefireDrago, signing out.**


	3. The Stowaway

**Disclaimer: RWBY is owned by Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth Productions, while Macross is owned by Shoji Kawamori and Studio Satelight.**

* * *

It has been days since the Kingdom of Mistral suddenly went dark, and the Atlesian army under General Ironwood's command came to investigate the cause. To their horror, the main city was completely devastated and devoid of its usual life, with crumbled buildings and layers of corpses lying on the streets. However, their biggest shock was the appearance of wrecked mechs unknown to them, looking at the mech ID as the VF-171 Nightmare. Intrigued by the designs, Ironwood has ordered his forces to bring a few back to Atlas for further study.

He then looked over the extent of the damage of Mistral's main city, taking note of the holes on the streets and parks alike. Some of the buildings have shown several signs of a battle that happened, from bullet holes to the occasional scratch on the surface. What was odd to him was that there were no traces of Grimm footprints or feathers, telling him that the monsters were not involved with the disaster. He can only guess that the attack was caused by the White Fang, the radical group of faunas turned Terrorist organization.

"General," he was brought out of his thoughts when he saw one of his men approaching him. "We have completed our survey of the area. Most of those things that are on the ground couldn't be salvaged for our use."

"I see," he mused to himself, looking at the trooper. "Marine, what is your opinion on the damage caused here?"

"Honestly, I believe that the White Fang was involved with that assault on Mistral, just like they did on Vale. What doesn't add up is how they got those things. We never manufactured these machines at all."

"Do you think that someone is supplying them with the tools necessary to eradicate us?"

"We're still figuring that out, sir," the man saluted. "However, Lieutenant Soleil thinks otherwise. She sent me to bring you over to her immediately."

Ironwood nodded to the marine's report, making his way over to where the lieutenant was currently at in the city ruins. The sight of the hulking machines was eerie to him as it is, but then pondered as to while Soleil would think otherwise on the White Fang's possible involvement. Looking at the sight once again, he saw the initials 'N.U.N.S.,' as well as the meaning underneath it: 'New United Nations Spacy.' He then finally reached Ciel Soleil, who saluted to his appearance in front of her.

"What do you have, Lieutenant," the general questioned her, seeing her pass a scroll to him.

"The events that have occurred here in Mistral, sir," She responded professionally to him. "I noticed the device lying beside the corpse of a woman, and I was curious as to what Intel it had on the attack. To say that the White Fang was involved would be proving us wrong, as I saw a recording of the event."

"You looked into it without my authorization?"

"I did, and I am prepared for a punishment, sir." She then shivered, surprising the men. "However, I firmly believe that the terrorist group is innocent this time, sir. I urge you to watch the recording, though I should warn you that it is graphic."

"We'll see about that," Ironwood said, opening the scroll and played the recording. It started with the people going on with their daily lives when many of them questioned something about a song playing. It went darker as some of the Huntsmen shown in the recording suddenly hunched down in pain, only to get back with veins bulging in their skin and muscle mass increased. He then saw that they began to attack and harm the civilians they swore to protect, going wide eyed over the sight as one of them murdered a shopkeeper in cold blood.

The recording then displayed that the one holding it was running away from the crazed Huntsmen and Huntresses, only to stop when the ground violently shook until the VF-171 Nightmares emerged from underneath the city, aiming their gun pods and firing at the city. It then showed a duel between a crazed Roy Stallion and a sane Jaune Arc, surprising Ironwood and Soleil immediately. More questions emerged in his mind as the recording showed a series of fighters entering from the sky, engaging and disarming the Nightmares while the people ran away.

"What in Remnant's name," he said to himself while watching the recording, seeing Weiss join Jaune in fighting Roy until a girl appeared in front of them and sang an unknown song, suddenly returning the latter to normal. He knew that Mr. Schnee had sent his daughter to Mistral for business deals, but the sight of her fighting the people worried him. He then saw that another VF-171 emerged from the ground near them, looking at the two teens before engaging the other Nightmares with the help with the fighters from the sky. He heard Weiss shout out Ruby's name at the mech, implying that she was also in Mistral and commandeered one of the mechs. The recording ended as the person holding it was intercepted and killed by a crazed huntress.

"What in the world…" Ironwood said out loud, in shock over what he saw. "Ciel, what are your thoughts?"

"Sir," she started while saluting, continuing with her report. "I believe that some unknown virus of Grimm origin may be involved, turning the people into crazed killers."

"Then what about the fighters that came from the sky? About that girl who kept singing in a battlefield and supposedly cured a Huntsman?"

"Unknown, sir," she spoke out, causing the general to sigh in disappointment.

"Great…" he muttered to himself, looking at her with a stern face. "Keep this Intel between us and the scientists back at Atlas, and make an announcement saying the White Fang were involved with Mistral's destruction. We can't cause an outbreak simply because of this 'virus,' or the appearance of the sky fighters."

"Yes sir," the lieutenant accepted the order before withdrawing from Ironwood's presence. This allowed the man to delve deeper into the mystery as to why the people changed in Mistral, and believed that the song the people heard before the cause could be the cause. Clenching his fist in irritation, he made his way to his new flagship, withdrawing all but the recovery teams back to Atlas.

Unknown to them, above the skies of Mistral revealed a green aerial drone hovering over the kingdom. It has gathered information on the planet and the cause, with its system saying 'Var Syndrome reached new planet on the edge of the Brisingr Globular Cluster, Song of the Wind's effective range updated,' before flying off.

* * *

Over the course of their stay on Ragna, Ruby, Yang and Weiss were given a celebration at Barrette City's local restaurant 'Ragnyannyan,' shocking them with the news that Delta Platoon's Chuck Mustang runs the place. They all bowed their heads in respect to the man before digging into the dishes served, finding out that the main jellyfish dishes tasted really well. Afterwards, they all went over to the building that houses the girl's dormitory for Chaos, even going so far as to customize their own rooms.

Then after a few days, they have gone towards the classes assigned to them by Arad Molders, with half of the work given from Mirage and the flight tests to Messer. They learned that Mirage was a half human, half Zentradi, and that her grandparents were ace pilots during the First Space War against the warring race, even going so far as to become the first interracial couple during the battle. With Messer, they were quick to realize that he was strict in every word, even going to such lengths to correct everything they did wrong with the way they're piloting the Valkyrie training models, the VF-1EX.

During that time, Yang went and saw Makina about the prosthetic predicament, only to see her arriving and dragging the blonde over to the doctor's office. There, the Walkure Singer/Valkyrie mechanic had installed a custom prosthetic donning her primary colors of yellow and black. She thanked the pink twin tailed girl, who accepted the thanks along with giving her the nickname 'Yangyang.' All the blonde did was nervously laugh over Makina's tone of voice before returning to her friend and sister.

What the three of them don't know is that, unknown to them, the fourth member of their team from school was already near them, ready to make her appearance known.

* * *

As the crew of the Elysion moved on with their jobs of modifying the four unused VF-31 Seigfrieds for later use, no one was paying attention to what was in the shadows. Emerging from the dark wearing a white trench coat and black crop shirt complete with dark, stretchy pants and thigh high heeled boots was the familiar raven haired girl, Blake Belladonna. She was able to sneak into Chaos' base on Ragna on the same day RW(B)Y left to become pilots, with the only goal of 'rescuing' her friends.

Getting out of the room, she made her way through the hallways of the Macross class ship that stood on Ragna, looking everywhere for her former teammates. The faunas could only do what she could to avoid being spotted, avoiding any small groups of humans that worked in the facility. She was somewhat confused over the sight of the people's uniforms, but shifted her thoughts back to getting to Ruby, Weiss and Yang. Staying out of sight, she continued her sole mission through the Elysion, only to accidently bump into a girl with long green hair tied into a side ponytail.

Before she could even say a word, Blake used her semblance to leave a shadow behind to distract her while she moved forward. A foolish mistake for her, she wanted to waste no time as she ran through the hallways, only to stop to the sound of music coming from nearby. Curious, she made her way over to where the music was coming from, coming across a room where the sound was at its strongest.

Peeking inside, Blake saw four girls practicing what appeared to be a new type of dance and singing a song she has never heard before. Each girl had different hair styles and color, leading from the first with flowing violet hair, the one beside her with shoulder length red hair, while behind them was a girl with pink twin tails and a girl with very short green hair. Each of them were currently dancing in sync until the first one stopped the music.

"OK," the girl with the violet hair started. "I know we're practicing for our next Waccine tour, but I believe that we need to get those auditions started."

"Mikumo," the redhead said sternly. "We can't rush this sort of thing. The auditions will be held in a few weeks. Besides, we haven't had any Var incidents lately."

"I know Kaname, but in my honest opinion, I believe that the song would work better if we had a… younger, full of energy kind of voice in it."

The redhead only sighed while Blake's interest in their conversation peaked. "If that is your decision, then so be it. Makina, Reina, do you agree with Mikumo's statement?"

"Yeppers, Kanakana," The pink haired girl, who Blake believes to be Makina, spoke up while the other girl, Reina, nodded. "Kumokumo could be on the right track on the idea of a fifth voice fitting the sing well."

"Well then," The first one, Mikumo, said in agreement before giving a brief glimpse at Blake and smiling. "How about an opinion from our observer, the one with the black hair."

Blake then felt a sudden shock over what she heard, eyes widening as Mikumo and the girls turned to face her. Afraid, she immediately ran away from them, prompting Kaname to realize that she wasn't around the area. The redhead went towards the intercom beside the speaker and pressed the button.

"Attention everyone," she started, her voice heard all over the complex. "We have a stowaway on the run inside the Macross Elysion. I repeat: we have a stowaway on the run. Facial structure suggests she's female with long, raven black hair with a bow on top with amber eyes. Be on the lookout for anyone fitting that description."

* * *

Out in the skies of Ragna, Ruby and Weiss were currently finishing up their training in flying a Valkyrie under Messer's watch, piloting the VF-1EXs and maneuvering them in his direction. The veteran pilot was pleased with the progress that both girls were making with the skills he passed on to them, even surprised when they did their own maneuvers to their own choosing. Smirking, he had an idea to test them in the form of a final test for them.

He made it a match between the two newcomers against his own VF-31 Seigfried, telling that for them to pass, they must land a hit on his plane before the timer goes off. To make it fair for them, he told them that they can take as many hits from his fighter, smirking as they had scrambled to the VF-1EX Valkyries made available for them. He knows that he won't make it easy for them.

As of now, both girls' planes were already coated with the paint that was fired from the advanced fighter, and they're already trying to think of a way to take out Messer and pass the final test. Due to Messer, Delta 02, being faster than them, Weiss decided with her team leader that she'll draw him in as a decoy, purposely leading him towards herself while the young reaper flies in and gets a hit on the experienced pilot's plane. When they went over the details with each other, they separated from one another, allowing the heiress to fire at Messer's Seigfried and drawing him towards her.

"Whatever it is you're planning," Messer muttered to himself, closing in on Weiss. "It's not going to work on me."

Weiss continued to fly and purposely miss Delta 02, keeping him occupied while Ruby flies in behind him. She knew that Messer was more experienced as a pilot then she'll ever be, but the sight of a red VF-1EX coated in paint coming in closer gave her a moment of satisfaction. The redhead's Valkyrie began to open fire on the VF-31, successfully hitting it with paint rounds and shocking Messer in the process. Weiss then took that as her cue to open fire on the Seigfried, also coating it in paint rounds as well. Both girls celebrated their victory in passing the test as they flew back towards the Macross Elysion, while Messer stayed behind and evaluated their plan.

"So," he said to himself. "They do have what it takes to be pilots. They had to know each other to make that plan work, after all."

As the two girls neared Ragna's Iconic Macross fortress, both of them have engaged their VF-1EXs' Gerwalk modes to safely land on the Aether portion of the ship. Nearing them as that landed and disembarked, Ruby was instantly tackled down in a hug from Yang, who was proud to see her pass her test against Messer. Weiss could only shake her head over the elder sister's antics while Messer eventually lands on the Aether.

"Ruby, I am so proud of you," Yang said to Ruby as she smothered her in a hug. "You did really well out there. I guess that means that you're now an official pilot now?"

"Yang… Stop…" she whizzed out, turning blue. "I'm… losing… breath…"

"Honestly Yang, you're going to kill Ruby with those hugs before she could actually fly one of those Siegfrieds," Weiss pointed out, holding on to her helmet while seeing the blonde let go of her little sister.

"Ehehe, sorry about that," she scratched her head while apologizing, only to hear Kaname over the speaker system.

" _Attention Everyone,_ _we have a stowaway on the run inside the Macross Elysion. I repeat: we have a stowaway on the run. Facial structure suggests she's female with long, raven black hair with a bow on top with amber eyes. Be on the lookout for anyone fitting that description._ "

"A female with raven black hair and amber eyes, wearing a bow," Weiss muttered to herself, letting herself be heard. "You don't think that—"

"Blake," Yang spat out in venom, clenching her prosthetic hand into a fist. "She's here, and she's hiding somewhere."

"Cadets Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee and Yang Xiao Long," Messer spoke up with authority, seeing them salute to him. "You are to find and apprehend the stowaway immediately. Assist the search parties until you find her. Is that understood?"

"Sir," they said in unison, "yes sir."

* * *

Blake couldn't believe how bad her luck was, but she was suddenly spotted by that violet girl Mikumo despite her being quiet the whole time. Now, she had the luxury of being chased by the installation's military, whoever the army was. She has never seen their uniforms before on Remnant, but she quickly thought that they belong to a military contractor for Atlas.

However, those thoughts quickly vanished from her mind as she entered the armory and took a quick look at the mechs held in it. She has memorized the sight of the Paladins Atlas has in their desposal, but the sight of the mechs held in the armory makes the machines back home look like disposal units. She caught a glimpse of the names 'VF-31 Seigfried' and 'Destroid Cheyenne II' for the mechs displayed before the sound of footprints echoed behind her. Cursing her luck again, she began to run again as her pursuers emerged from the hallways.

"Damn," she cursed herself, keeping her pace faster than the people chasing her. "It's all thanks to that girl. If she hadn't spotted me like she did, I would have reached Yang and the others and gotten them out of here." She began to run a little slower. "I won't allow them to be captured by Atlas and forced into their military. I will never allow it."

She then turn a few corners to try to lose the pursuers that followed her, only to see that when she loses one group, another takes their place. Frustrated, she hid herself inside one of the rooms and kept herself near the door, smirking that the ones chasing her easily passed her no problem. She then turned around to see that she was in the girls' shower room in the base, shocking her over the sudden images in her head. She shook her head rapidly to get the images out before looking out of the doorway, shocked to see the girl she bumped into walking towards the room.

Blake then waited until she was right at the door, leaving a shadow clone and ran as the girl opened the door. She never expected to see more guards patrolling the base as she rounded the corners, but when they were finally out of sight, she took the chance to sprint through the hallways and went through the exit, stopping to see the outside world in front of her. Her eyes instantly went wide as her sprint slowed down to a shaking walk, unsure about the sight.

Right in front of her was the view of Ragna's Barrette City, with a small town surrounding a large dome in the water that housed a city inside it. The ocean was seen in the horizon connecting with the city's surface, while a soothing breeze flowed in her hair. Looking behind, Blake noticed that the facility she was in was actually a gigantic robot that stood tall on the surface, and behind it were large bodies of what appeared to be barnicles.

In shock over what she was seeing, Blake took a few steps back until she bumped into something behind her, causing her to quickly turn around to see three different fighter planes. Two of the planes looked similar, despite the different color schemes on them, while the third plane had a different shape on it. Looking around it, she saw the same name 'VF-31 Seigfried' etched on the side, along with an emblem resembling the Grim Reaper on the top. She then ran over to the other two planes, seeing the name 'VF-1EX Valkyrie' etched onto it. Judging from the odd paint splatters on them, she believed that they were used to either train or enhance a pilot's skills.

"Aren't they beautiful," she turned around, wide eyed to see a middle aged man with red hair walking towards her, eating what appeared to be fried jellyfish. "Look at the Valkyries, young lady. You never could see anything like them back where you came from."

"How did you—" she asked him, only for him to interrupt and continue her sentence.

"Know that you'd be here? Well, it's not easy for a Remnan to suddenly sneak in through the Aether and took a tour of the Macross Elysion. I figured that the last spot you'd be would end up on the Aether's surface and bear witness to Barrette, the Elysion and the Valkyries Cadets Rose and Schnee used."

"How did you know I was from Remnant? More importantly, what do you mean by 'cadets Rose and Schnee?'"

The man chuckled over Blake's questions. "Well, the girls told me about their team from school, and about how their fourth member was quiet and liked books. Well, they told me about what you look like, so I figured that when I heard Kaname, I knew you would reach the Valkyries." He then took another bite from his snack. "As for the second question, I was the one who scouted them personally. Ruby impressed me back on your planet when she took control of a VF-171 Nightmare and fought valiantly against the Var Syndrome."

"Now let me guess," she stepped back and aimed Gambol Shroud at him. "What do you want with me?"

"Simple." He put his snack away before continuing, walking over to the edge. "I want to personally scout you into the Delta Platoon's ranks. You may not have any experience with a Valkyrie, but when you have a taste of the wind on the plane's wings, you'll swear that it's the best feeling you'll feel."

Blake was confused over what the man was saying to her, looking over at the Valkyries sitting on top of the Aether. Curious as to what he meant, she made her way over to the edge of the Aether, sticking her arm out to get a feel of the breeze. Stopping after walking a few feet and turned to face the man, she took a deep breath before jumping off the edge of the base.

What happened surprised her afterwards. She had expected to fall off to her death, but the wind prevented it and blew upwards, lifting her back up. She went wide eyed over how a force of nature could do such a thing, but then felt that the wind, while fierce, felt nice and supportive to her weight. She was then put back on the Aether by the wind, looking at the man who had a smug look on his face.

"How did it feel," he asked her, grabbing another piece of fried jellyfish. "The wind… did it feel nice?"

"I don't know…" she answered honestly, trying to piece together her thoughts. "On one hand, I thought for sure the wind wouldn't support me at all, but on the other… it felt like it knew what it was doing…"

"I was expecting that kind of answer." He then walked over to her, offering his hand. "Name's Arad Molders, Commander of the Delta Platoon. My offer still stands for you, Miss Blake Belladonna."

"How did—" Blake spoke up in shock, only to close her mouth. Looking over her hand, she pondered as to how to accept the deal from the man. On the bright sight, she was happy that her old team weren't taken by Atlas to become mindless soldiers. On the other hand, she won't be able to return to Remnant and address the White Fang problem to the remaining councils of Remnant, though she knew that they won't listen to faunas. Making up her mind, she shook Arad's hand and took the offer.

"BLAKE BELLADONNA," she turned around to feel a punch in the face, falling down to look at an enraged Yang. "You have a lot of nerve coming here."

"Yang," she whispered in shock, wide eyed over what she did.

"Do you have ANY idea what you did, Blake?"

"What are you talking about, Yang?"

"After the battle of beacon," the blonde elaborated, clenching her hands into fists. "Before, you made a promise to me… to all of us… that you would never run away again. What did you end up doing after the battle at Beacon? You ran away."

"Yang, there is a reason why I did that," she pleaded to her, only for it to fall on deaf ears. "I ran to pro—"

"I don't want to hear it, Blake." Yang then walked over and picked her up by the hem of her shirt. "You broke your promise to us, Blake."

"Yang…"

"Hold it, you two," Arad shouted, getting their attention. "I understand that there may be some bad blood between you two, but now is not the time. What matters now is that we're all in the same platoon, so I expect you two to be on your best behaviour."

"Best behaviour, sir," the blonde questioned the commander.

"If you two want to fight this out… to sort out your feelings… there is a better way of doing this." He then pointed towards the Valkyries. "An aerial dogfight between the two of you. That way, the both of you can fight out your emotions, and you get to fly the Valkyries at the same time."

Yang could only sigh, letting Blake go before saluting to him. "I understand sir, but on one condition." She then pointed towards the VF-31. "We fly the new models to fight."

"I can arrange that, cadet." He ate another fried jellyfish. "Your duel will commence in a few weeks, giving Blake the time to get some flying experience before then." He then looks at Blake. "I trust you two to make up by the time the duel is over. That is all."

* * *

 **A/N: We can't have a RWBY fic without the girls that make up team RWBY, am I right? But Yang wants to fight the young cat faunas.**

 **Now, typing this did take a while to work over and think of how to make the chapter work, but in the end, I was able to get it down the way I want it. To make sure this kept going, I had to limit myself to at least one hour of gaming on the Xbox and watching anime. I also took the time to wake up early in the morning to get in a few paragraphs before heading off to work, so that means I had spent hours to type a chapter.**

 **I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. What do you think? Leave a review, favorite and/or follow.**

 **With that out of the way, I'm BlazefireDrago, signing out.**


	4. Dogfight: BUMBLEBEE!

**Disclaimer: RWBY is owned by Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth Productions, while Macross is owned by Shoji Kawamori and Studio Satelight.**

* * *

After hearing about what had happened on top of the Aether, Ruby was actually surprised to know that Yang wants to fight Blake using the VF-31 Siegfrieds. She knew that Yang had some sort of a problem with the dark haired woman about what happened at Beacon, but to challenge her to a Valkyrie dogfight was ridiculous. She then thought that Blake will be a part of the team again, as a newer member of the Delta Platoon.

Walking over and entering the armory, the young girl had some plans to upgrade the VF-31s that herself, Weiss and the others will be using. Looking over the blueprints she cooked up, she had thought about incorporating their weapons from Remnant onto the machines in one way or another. She was surprised to see Makina on top of the Valkyrie assigned to her, wearing what appeared to be a mechanic's uniform covered in oil and grease. She walked over to her with blueprints in hand, seeing the pink haired girl look at her and smiling.

"Hey there Ruru," Makina greeted the reaper with the nickname, wiping her forehead of sweat. "How is our new Valkyrie pilot doing today?"

"I've been well, 'Makimaki,'" Ruby said back to the girl, using the nickname she wanted to be called. "Just a little restless lately about my sister fighting her partner."

"Ahh, you mean the upcoming dogfight between Yangyang and Blabla. Yeah, it's becoming the new topic around here nowadays. I mean, I have been cleaning the Siegfrieds for you girls to use, and everyone else is talking about the duel between two girls."

"The struggle is real." Ruby then looked at the Valkyrie. "So what exactly are you doing to the fighters?"

"Well, for starters, I'm practically wiping down the dust these machines collected over the months." She put down the rags before grabbing a wrench. "After that, I have to make sure the drones the Siegfrieds deploy are in working order, clean out the cockpits, check on the weapon systems and, my most favorite part, reapplying a new coat of paint to distinguish it from the other Valkyries."

"That… sounds like a lot of work."

"It is," she admitted. "Luckily, I have been used to working on these since joining Walkure. Reina usually helps me out, but she's busy at the moment."

"Well, you mind if I join you," Ruby asked her, scratching her head. "I mean, I might get in the way, but you look like you could use some company."

"Are you kidding me, Ruru?" Makina surprised her by offering her hand, taking Ruby up to the top of the Valkyrie. "At this point, any company is good company. Besides, I want to learn more about you and your friends."

Ruby smiled at Makina's antics as she showed the young girl how the maintenance on the VF-31 Siegfried was handled. While Makina herself was looking over the Cygnus drones the Valkyrie stored, making sure that like everything else, they were in working order for later operations against the Var. She then looked at how Ruby was doing, surprised to see her carefully apply the paint on the machine, even seeing her paint what looked like a rose on the back. She then saw that Ruby was looking at what appeared to be blueprints, curious enough to scoot over to have a look.

"Whoa," the pink haired girl said in amazement, looking at the detail drawn into it. "Did you actually draw this, Ruru?"

"Yeah," she said sheepishly, moving the sketch over to her. "Seeing the Siegfrieds has me thinking… maybe I could find a way to incorporate our fighting styles into the mechs. Of course, I would have to run it by you first."

"Uh huh." Makina looked over the blueprints, unsure about if she'll pull it off. "Um, I'd hate to be the one to say this, but… how are you going to have a Valkyrie wield a scythe of all things?"

"It's not just a scythe, Makimaki," Ruby rebutted, pouting. "It's also a highly customized, high impact sniper rifle, meaning it's also a gun."

The Valkyrie mechanic sweated lightly. "A sniper rifle… Well, uh, I'm not sure if I could pull this off. This sort of thing has never been achieved at all."

"Well…" Ruby started off, jumping down off the Siegfried. "If it makes you relieved, I can bring you the weapon I made back home. It will only be a sec."

"Wait, what do you me—" She never finished as the young reaper used her semblance to leave the armory, noticing the rose petals left behind in the process. It didn't take long for Ruby to get back, this time carrying a red metal case in her arms. Before the mechanic could say anything, Ruby began to move the case, shifting it into the scythe similar to the designs. Makina went from shock to excitement as Ruby moved the scythe fluently before changing it to a sniper rifle, taking a few stances before shifting it back into a metal box.

"No way," she said while in awe over Crescent Rose. "Did you honestly design that, Ruru?"

"Yup," the young girl nodded before setting it down gently by her. "Back home, if you needed to be a Huntress, you needed to have a weapon. It just so happens that mine is a rare type of weapon. Though, I think I went overboard when designing it."

"And, you want me to somehow find a way to make an exact copy for the Valkyrie?" She looked at the compact form of Ruby's weapon, thinking of a way to make one for Ruby's VF-31. "It may take a few weeks at best to at least mimic one, but I'll do what I can about it, or my name isn't Makina Nakajima." She then looked at the time. "You better get going, Ruru. The captain is going to start his briefing on our next operation."

"Oh, right." She left Crescent Rose behind for Makina to use as reference. "I'll be back to help you out, I promise"

* * *

As everyone had gathered in the bridge of the Macross Elysion, the view of Barrette City was obscured by the darkness of night, with only a few lights visible in the horizon. The Delta Platoon, with the new addition Blake Belladonna, stood in attention as Ernest waited for the young reaper to arrive, seeing her run in out of breath. He motioned her to join the platoon before turning his seat over the current projection, glancing over to see all of the pilots waiting for a word to be said.

"I'm sure you're all getting acquainted with Cadet Belladonna, Delta," he started, getting a few chuckles and a scoff from Yang. "However, we're here to remind ourselves that we have a duty to carry out: to quell the Var Syndrome and ensure the safety of the Brisingr Globular Cluster." He then turned back around, showing the projection to everyone present. "This here is Al Shahal, one of the neighboring planets to Ragna, and our current destination in a few weeks. Unfortunately, there have already been a few incidents involving abnormal biofold readings that led to the Var taking hold. Luckily, they were only isolated incidents, but it won't take long for them to reach Shahal City."

"Sir, permission to speak," Weiss asked the micronized Zentradi, getting a nod of approval. "Since Ruby, Yang, Blake and I are new here, what is the climate of the planet, and what kind of military presence is there?"

"I'm glad you asked that, Cadet Schnee. The planet's climate can be similar to that of a harsh, desert on one of your continents of Remnant, but tame enough to allow civilian activity outside. As for military, there is a Zentradi military base on the surface near the city while an NUNS garrison fleet orbit the planet."

"Great," Yang started, yawning. "A desert planet that could be scorching hot with two military powers there. I hope there is a beach on the surface."

"Cadet Xiao Long," Messer glared at her. "We are going there on assignment. At least be serious about the job."

"I will, I will."

"As I was saying," the captain started again, regaining their attention. "In order to figure out when the Var Syndrome will strike again, the Delta Platoon will be going to Al Shahal and blend in with the populace. We don't want to draw any unnecessary attention to ourselves until we find the infected."

"Sir," Ruby raised her hand. "What would happen if the Var Syndrome were to affect either the Zentradi Or the NUNS fleet? How do we handle them?"

"If it were to occur, the Delta Platoon will be authorized to deploy in the VF-31 Siegfrieds and remove any threat towards the people. We can Not kill them however, so the best bet to ensure both the safety of the civilians and the infected is to disarm them of both weapons and movement."

"If it comes to that, then Ruby could do the same thing she did on Remnant," Chuck commented, getting a laugh from Ernest.

"Fortunately, I have trained her on how to properly handle the VF-31 over the weeks," Messer added, putting his hand on his chin in thought. "Captain, who will be going undercover on the planet's surface?"

"Right, about that." The Zentradi had one of the bridge operators switch the screens over the platoon placement. "Chuck Mustang, due to the design of your VF-31, you will be flying in orbit with Reina and scan for any anomalies in the biofold waves. Commander Molders and First Lieutenant Ihlefeld will be in the Ops center of the Aether overlooking the progress, and as for the surface contact… will be left with Team RWBY, Makina, Mikumo and Mirage. You seven will be on the lookout for any strange behaviour. Is that understood?"

"Sir," the entire Delta Platoon saluted in answer. "Yes sir."

"Good. Dismiss," Johnson ordered, looking at Yang and Blake as everyone left. "Cadets Xiao Long and Belladonna, stay here."

Both girls looked at each other, with Blake being sympathetic and Yang being enraged, before staying behind to look at the captain. Neither girl expected him to be serious with them, thinking that they are in trouble. They thought he was going to give them the kind of punishments their old Professor Goodwitch would give back home on Remnant.

"I heard from Molders," he started before looking at them in the eyes. "Apparently, there appears to be some sort of… 'bad blood' between the two of you. Care to elaborate?"

"Sir," Yang started, going into detail about how she met Blake. She told the captain about the initiation, about how she was partnered with the faunas for the next few years at Beacon. She even told the micronized Zentradi about how Blake used to be a part of the White Fang, a peaceful organization turned terrorist group, and about the promise she made with her team. She then went into careful detail about the Vytal Festival incident, from her losing her arm to Blake leaving them all and running away.

Everything that Yang had said to Johnson was confirmed by Blake herself, and then told him about what the White Fang used to stand for. He gained a sorrowed understanding as to why the group would go to such measures just to get what they wanted, reminding him of the First Space War between humanity and the Zentradi. Gaining a better picture on the situation, he sat in his chair in thought while the two girls stood in attention, thinking of a way to remedy their situation. Finally, he sighed once more before looking at the two cadets.

"I'll permit your duel in the VF-31 Siegfrieds," he spoke up, raising his finger as they were about to speak. "However, there will be a time where we'll need to work with one another. Unless you two settle your differences during your match, I doubt you two will be effective teammates for the Delta Platoon."

"But Sir, I—" Yang tried to plead to him, only to back off as he gave her a glare.

"This is an order from your captain. Settle your argument during your duel, or you two won't be partaking in any missions against the Var."

Looking down, the blonde acknowledged the order she got from the Zentradi, giving Blake one more look before leaving the control room. To his eyes, she was giving her an unforgiving glare, but to Blake, she could see sorrow in her eyes. She placed her hand near her chest before breathing out, hearing a cough from Ernest beckoning her attention.

"Cadet Belladonna, are you going to run, or are you going to fight," he asked her, seeing her clench her hands into fists and giving off a serious vibe.

"I'm done running, sir," she spoke up. "I'm sick and tired of running. I will fight, even if it means going up against my partner."

"Good," he smiled to her answer. "You may go."

"Sir."

* * *

The day of the duel has arrived, and everything has been put in place for Yang and Blake to fight out their feelings. Ruby knew that this would happen sooner or later, and so she volunteered with Chuck to be the overseer of the battle. After checking over the progress of hers and Makina's 'secret project,' she boarded her VF-31 and launched ahead of time, seeing the Ragnan pilot having the same idea. Smiling, they flew miles away from Barrette City until they reached their destination.

It didn't take long for Yang and Blake to reach them afterwards, spotting the Valkyries coming towards them. Due to Ruby's part, their emblems were coated on the back of the fighters to distinguish one from another for Chuck. If they needed to, they were ordered by Ernest to override the Valkyries' AI and fly them back to the Elysion.

" _Listen up,_ " the captain's voice echoed in their coms. " _This will be the final exam between Cadets Yang Xiao Long and Blake Belladonna, who will be a part of the Delta Platoon's second division under the command of Third Lieutenant Ruby Rose. Due to circumstances, there won't be a time limit to the match._ "

" _You hear that, Ruby,_ " Chuck spoke up to the young reaper turned pilot. " _You got a nice rank now._ "

"I'm still the same girl from before, Chucky," she joked around, looking at both her sister and her teammate's Valkyries. "Let's show Messer that we can do his job."

" _Aye Sir._ "

" _The test will begin immediately after both cadets have passed each other's Siegfrieds,_ " They heard the captain. " _The match shall end after both fighters have reconciled their emotions and prove their willingness to work together._ "

Both Yang and Blake understood the meaning behind what Ernest meant about working together, and so they began to fly farther apart, turning to face and fly towards one another. As they get closer, Blake clenched her controls knowing that she can no longer back away from it anymore. It was going to be settled here and now, and she wants a clean slate with her team.

Eventually they passed each other, starting the test, and Yang was quick enough to shift her Valkyrie's focus on Blake in a matter of seconds. Immediately she began to open fire upon the faunas' fighter, only to see her dodge the bullets. Shocked as to the way Blake moved, Yang continued firing at the VF-31 while the faunas kept avoiding the shots. Enraged, the blonde sped up her Valkyrie over to Blake's, who could only smirk at how she fell for it.

" _You say that Yang gets stronger the more she gets enraged,_ " Messer's voice echoed in her mind from her previous conversation with Delta 02. " _Are you certain?_ "

" _Absolutely, sir,_ " her voice followed his. " _I think it's all due to her semblance._ "

" _Well, to her, it is her strength. However, if someone like you knows it, you can turn that strength into a weakness._ "

Remembering that conversation, she shifted her VF-31 into Battroid mode, shocking Yang as she fired the arm mounted gun pods at her. Violet paint coated the blonde's fighter as Blake strafed from side to side until she shifted the machine back to Fighter mode, flying off as the blonde fired at her again. Blake's tactic was to use her anger against her, making sure she waits for the time to strike her Valkyrie.

Yang was getting tired of how Blake kept avoiding her shots, opting to shift her machine into Gerwalk mode and began to open fire with the left arm's mounted gun pod in front of Blake. She thought for sure that the shots would eventually hit her machine, but when her opponent managed to dodge the shots once again, she let out a scream of anger. Switching arms, she kept up her barrage on Blake's plane, getting more angered as she kept avoiding the paint rounds. All the while, Ruby and Chuck whistled over how the faunas flew the Siegfried while the blonde struggled to keep up.

" _Wow, can you believe that,_ " Chuck called out to the young reaper. " _That Blake chick sure knows how to avoid those paint rounds. Seeing this makes us think that Messer is actually fighting your sister, not her._ "

"Yeah," Ruby said while in awe, more focused as Blake switched into Battroid mode again and fired more controlled bursts of gunfire and impacting Yang's fighter. Both fighters kept up their exchange of bullets as their Valkyries danced in the air, with Yang's shots missing the black and violet VF-31 while Blake's impacted the blonde's Siegfried. The latter then shifted into Gerwalk mode and flew around until she was behind her former partner, firing and hitting the plane's backside as Yang had trouble avoiding the bullets.

"Dammit," the blonde cursed out, glimpsing out to see Blake fly passed her. "Kitty cat sure knows how to play. Well, how will she handle this?"

While Blake knew her plan was working, she never expected Yang to suddenly launch a barrage of paint loaded missiles after her. Coordinating her movements, she was able to keep her VF-31 away as the missiles exploded right by her one by one, avoiding the paint splatters with the occasional drop of yellow coloring on her windshield. While she was distracted after evading the missiles, Yang unloaded another salvo of paint rounds on her, actually coating her backside and celebrating as she successfully landed a hit on her.

Wasting no time at all, Blake unleashed her own supply of missiles towards the blonde's VF-31, surprising the girl while flying off. While the faunas had little trouble avoiding the missiles fired by Yang, the latter struggled as the Siegfried rocked in the opposing wind force, causing the missiles by her to explode and coat her fighter in violet paint. After getting clear of the blast, Yang saw that her windshield was covered, preventing her from seeing where Blake would strike.

She didn't waste any time either as she shifted her Valkyrie back into Battroid mode, granting her the gift of vision once again. She looked around to find Blake's VF-31 in the skies, getting frustrated as there was no sight of the raven haired faunas anywhere. Warnings then popped up on her screen, alerting her as she looked up to see Blake flying towards her and firing one more salvo of paint rounds, coating the mech's head and taking away her sight once again.

"Cut of the head and the chicken will fall soon," Blake commented, seeing the blonde effortlessly try to wipe the substance off. "But cut off a strand of her hair… all hell breaks loose."

Yang, now red eyed, screamed out in rage after cleaning the head of the Siegfried. She knew that Ruby or any of the Delta Platoon would try and stop her, so she disabled the AI interface connecting her to the others while replacing the paint ammunition with reactive bullets. Taking aim at Blake's Valkyrie, she waited at the right time until she was at the crosshairs, making sure that the wing was the target. She then opened fire on the unsuspecting girl, hitting and damaging the wing of the VF-31.

Ruby and Chuck watched in horror as Yang used live ammunition during a test match while everyone watching in the Macross Elysion stood there horrified. As Blake's plane began to spiral down towards the waters, Ruby wasted no time with trying to shut Yang's down, only to realize what her sister did. She then tried to make contact with the blonde, only to get nothing but radio silence.

" _Hey Ruby,_ " Chuck shouted to her in the coms. " _Aren't you going to do something about your sister? I mean, she just literally tore off Blake's wing with reactive bullets instead of training rounds._ "

"I'm trying, Chuck," she answered him while trying again. "But for some reason, she shut off the support AI that is connected with her fighter. It's like she wanted this."

" _But if that's true, then that means Blake is in danger. Even I tried on my end to no avail, and there is no Var readings coming from Yang._ "

"Does that mean that…" she went wide eyed. "She unknowingly used her anger to activate her semblance."

Blake tried to get her flight patterns regulated as her fighter continued its plummet down towards the waters until she eventually switched over to Battroid mode, stopping over a rock formation underneath. She then tried to take aim at Yang's Valkyrie, only to see more live ammunition collide with her mech's arms and leg. The blonde then shifted her own Siegfried into Battroid mode before flying towards Blake, grabbing the downed mech and crashing it on the rock formation.

Everyone couldn't stop Yang now as her VF-31 was on top of Blake's, with the mech's gun pods retracted before making a fist. Blake saw that right in front of the face of death as Yang reared the fist back, closing her eyes and waiting for the inevitable. Seconds passed and nothing has happened yet.

"Tell me why you did it," Blake heard Yang speak through the coms, causing her to open her eyes. "Why did you run away, despite that promise you made with us."

"Yang, I…" she started to tear up, clutching at her now useless controls. "I just… I just wanted…"

"I don't want to hear any lies from you, Blake." Her mech arched the fist back further before launching it. "TELL ME!"

"IT'S BECAUSE YOU GUYS WERE LIKE FAMILY TO ME, OK?" She saw the fist stop inches from her VF-31 while Yang went eyed, eyes returning to lilac. "I never wanted to lose any of you. You, Weiss and Ruby were like sisters to me."

"We're… we're your family," Yang questioned her, not believing what she was hearing.

"That's right, and I care about all of you." She closed her eyes as more tears fell. "I never had a real family except for the White Fang back in their peaceful protest days, but you three… you three gave me something I never expected… a family to be a part of. After seeing Adam cut your arm off… I thought I would have lost you… I never wanted to lose you, or Weiss, or Ruby, or anyone at Beacon…"

"Blake…" Yang whispered, realising that she did care for her safety. "Does that mean…"

"That's right, Yang. But, if you want to settle the score…" she spreads her arms out. "Then by all means, finish it."

Yang was now conflicted over what she had heard from Blake, shaking from the inside. She never thought that she had ran away to protect her, Weiss and Ruby, always thinking that she was being selfish. Finally figuring things out, she had loosened her mech's grip on Blake's before severing the gun pods off her own. Looking at the ruined VF-31, Yang thought about what she was going to do if she never heard her say that, tearing up over the consequences.

"Blake…" she started, wiping her face. "I'm a horrible teammate, aren't I?"

"You're a bad teammate," Blake clarified for her. "But you're not horrible. I know there's good in you."

"Is there a chance you'll… forgive me, Blake?"

"Well, you shot down my plane pretty badly, Blondie." Blake then smiled. "But I'll forgive you if you could fly me back."

The blonde nodded to her suggestion and picked up Blake's VF-31 before flying off back to the Macross Elysion, surprising Ruby, Chuck and everyone watching. They never thought that Yang would change from shooting down her opponent with reactive bullets to aiding the downed Valkyrie back to the base at Barrette City. Now with a new opinion on her sister, she began to fly off towards the Ragnan city, thinking of a way to come up with a punishment with Arad.

* * *

"KANPAI!"

Later that day, after Yang had a brief scolding from Delta's Messer, both her and Blake were taken over to Ragnyannyan at the coast of Barrette City at the break of night by Makina and Reina. Blake never knew that the girls had planned this, but when she saw the restaurant, she was surprised that it was also a hut on the water. She also took notice of the billboard, which stated 'Yang and Blake Celebration party, Welcome to Delta Platoon.'

However, when they got in, they were greeted by most of the crew of the Macross Elysion, the Delta Platoon, the captain, Ruby and Weiss. They all cheered them for clearing the test earlier, as well as making amends between each other. Yang later dragged Blake over to them to join in the fun, grabbing their drinks and cheering along with their new friends.

As minutes have passed, everyone have split up to their own devices. Yang had been at a stalemate with Ernest in a match of arm wrestling, Ruby and moved over to Makina in order to discuss about their project involving hers and her team's Valkyries, Weiss sat over beside Mirage to talk about their problems and Blake sat at her table, looking over her drink with a smile.

"And now," everyone stopped to look at Chuck with his two siblings Zack and Hack, holding what appeared to be plates covered with service lids. "We at Ragnyannyan are proud to announce the main dish special of the night: Ragna's special Tuna."

Blake's eyes immediately became stars over hearing the word 'tuna,' looking at the Ragnan pilot as her bow twitched. Ruby realized what the man had said, facepalming over what would eventually happen to Chuck and his little brothers. Before she could get a word in, Blake moved in so quick that she took all three plates of tuna before going upstairs, looking at the unlucky few that won't get any fish.

"AHH," the young Zack shouted out after seeing the plates disappear out of their hands. "SHE STOLE THE FISH WE WERE GOING TO SERVE! FREAKING CAT BURGLAR!"

Meanwhile, a certain brown mercat with an x shaped scar only sneezed, knowing that someone has stolen his title.

* * *

 **A/N: Everything has finally been settled between Blake and Yang, despite the latter literally damaging the VF-31 in the process.**

 **This chapter was quite a challenge for me in terms of the Valkyrie battle between Yang and Blake to be honest, but after discussing it with my coworker over in the kitchen, I was able to get it done. However, I was able to stay true to how I wanted it to be written down, while my coworker made some… interesting suggestions. He also suggested that I should have Blake react to Tuna at some point, and so I placed it here after the battle.**

 **I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. What do you think? Leave a review, favorite and/or follow.**

 **Reviewer Questions I can't message:**

 **Freebyte:** _ **'This is interesting but one question: Why Jaune and the others join Ruby? I think Jaune is suited to ride those machines much like Hayate and another question where is Hayate Immelman?**_

 **BlazefireDrago: Well, I didn't want to have the entire Delta Platoon outnumbered by the Remnans, so Jaune and the rest of JN(P)R couldn't go with her. Plus, I would end up making the chapters run longer, and I don't actually want that. Hayate will come though, so don't worry.**

 **Tendaysromeo:** _ **When Walkure said they need a fifth member, I thought it was Ruby but I suddenly remembered that there is another character whom hasn't appeared yet and that is Freyja Wion! Hope she appears next chapter!**_

 **BD: Like I said with the last review, Freyja will be making her appearance soon.**

 **XY kid:** _ **Is this before the first episode of the anime? If it is, it's no wonder Hayate and Freyja haven't appeared! This Macross crossover won't be complete without those two, so hopefully they would appear soon!**_

 **BD: You are exactly correct on that. The first set of chapters are pretty much RWBY's exposure to the Brisingr Globular Cluster and getting accustomed to being part of Delta Platoon. And, like the other questions, they will appear soon.**

 **With that out of the way, I'm BlazefireDrago, signing out.**


	5. Al Shahal Outbreak

**Disclaimer: RWBY is owned by Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth Productions, while Macross is owned by Shoji Kawamori and Studio Satelight.**

* * *

Ruby feels extremely exhausted after what had happened at the party, with Blake snatching the tuna away from Chuck and his little brothers. She was never the kind of girl to go out and party like Yang is, but she does go out when it's a celebration, with the recent ones with the Delta Platoon being fun. She just wished that she had some of the tuna served there before Blake stole it all.

Walking back over to the girls' dormitory, Ruby was surprised to see Reina waiting by the front door holding a package. Curious, she walked over to her by a few feet, shaking a little letting her know she's there. The green haired girl looks and smiles at Ruby, who tilts her head as to wonder why she is like that. She then got off the wall and presented the gift to the young reaper, grinning.

"Glad you could get here, Ruby," she started as the young crimson head looks over the package. "That's something I have been meaning to give you and your friends since you got here."

"What is it," Ruby asked the girl.

"Not telling you until you open the package. Now open it up."

The young Huntress turned pilot sighed before tearing up the wrapping and opening the package, surprised to see four small cell phones adorned in hers and her team's colors. Looking at Reina, who had a small smirk over her reaction, she gained the ok to check the devices' features, going over the contact info. She wasn't surprised to see all of Walkure and the Delta Platoon member's numbers in her contacts, but she did a double take as she saw the names Jaune Arc, Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren in there.

"I figure that you must have missed your friends back home on Remnant," the hacker spoke up, getting Ruby out of her shock. "So I had to pull 'a few strings' hacking into the Remnant communication network light years away from here. You can now make calls to them whenever you get homesick."

"Reina," she said, still in awe over what Reina did. "I don't know what to say… thank you."

"No thanks needed. Go ahead and brag to them that you became a Valkyrie pilot."

With that said, the hacker left Ruby to her own devices, causing the young Valkyrie pilot to look at the cell phones. To her, they somewhat functioned like a scroll back on Remnant, only they don't display her aura levels or her teams. Regardless, she dashed over to her dorm room she shares with Weiss, laying down on her bed and looking at the screen. Looking over the contacts, she scrolled down until she reached Nora's name, pressing the call button and waiting for her to pick up.

" _Hello,_ " Nora finally answered after a few minutes. " _This is Nora Valkyrie, expert Grimm slayer and lover of pancakes. To whom am I speaking too?_ "

"Great to hear from you too, Nora," Ruby spoke up, surprising the girl on the other side of the call.

" _Ruby? Is that really you? How are you calling me, and why? Oh, and did you see any space sloths?_ "

"No space sloths." She heard a groan from Nora. "And yeah it is me. A friend of mine hacked into Remnant's communications, allowing me and my team to call you guys. And can't a girl call her friends to see how they're doing?"

" _Aww that is sooooo cool. I wish I could have gone with you._ "

"Sorry about that, Nora," she apologized, going into detail as to what had happened to her in the few months since coming to Ragna. More and more, she talked about the people, the culture, the Valkyries she's piloted, etc. She even told her about the sheer size of the Macross Elysion, hearing her gasp on the other side.

To her, catching up to those left behind on Remnant isn't so bad.

* * *

Al Shahal was, to an extent, one of the hottest planets residing in the globular cluster, and Ruby was bearing it in her patrol. Ever since she arrived on the planet along with the others in the reconnaissance, she has been hit with nothing but heat. If she had been in Vacuo, she would prefer to be there than on the surface of Al Shahal. To make it worse, she had to wear a casual black and red t-shirt with black jeans, along with a jacket with the Delta Platoon's insignia, making her even hotter.

Right now, she has made it to what appears to be a shipment storage facility, where she noticed the many Workroids placing containers in rows. Curious, she walked over into the field, passing by the men who were working their jobs. Many of the people were looking at her with interest, but knew by the jacket not to mess with her. She had kept going until she reached the office building of the area, walking in to see the manager.

The manager, a micronized Zentradi like Captain Johnson, sat in the chair looking over the papers, noticing Ruby walking in before setting them down. She noticed that he was a little shorter than the captain, but is still fairly tall. His hair was combed back into a mullet, and his attire was the same normal clothing, with the exception of the yellow vest over top. She maintained her composure as he began to approach her, thinking that he might wonder why she's there.

"May I help you, ma'am," the Zentradi asked her, crossing his arms. "If you're here for some packages, then I'm afraid that you're going to have to wait for hours."

"Actually, I am here on official business," she said to him before offering her hand to him. "My name's Ruby Rose, Third Lieutenant of the Delta Platoon."

"Delta Platoon? I didn't know that they gained new members."

"Yeah, well me and my friends were quickly recognized." She nervously laughed before regaining her composure. "I am actually here to ask you a few questions if you have the time. You see, it's about—"

"It's about the recent Var riots, right," he cut her off, walking over to grab a communicator. "Unfortunately, I haven't been near any of the Var infected yet, and none of my crew were hit with the virus. Needless to say, everything is fine here." He then pressed the communicator before breathing in. "Hayate? Hayate Immelmann! Come to the office immediately."

" _Aye, aye,_ " a young man's voice was heard before being cut off, as the man sighed before grabbing a slip of paper.

"If there is anything else you need," he started, catching Ruby off guard. "Then ask away. Otherwise, let me deal with a slacker before going back to my paperwork."

"Actually, there is." Ruby then walked forward a bit. "Have you heard of anything since the last outbreak here on Al Shahal? Anything about the last Var incident?"

The Zentradi only sighed before looking her in the eyes. "Yeah, my buddy was involved in a Var outbreak. Luckily the local law enforcement caught them before they could cause any damage, but without Walkure, they're stuck being mindless savages."

"Oh, I didn't know."

"Don't worry about it, it happened a few weeks ago." He then got up, glancing at the clock. "Well, he better be here soon. If you want to know more about the incidents, then you can ask one of my workers. They'll fill you in."

Ruby only nodded as the man opened the door, looking outside to see a young man waiting patiently by it. To her, he didn't look interesting, giving off an air of being a slacker. He had a head of blue hair down to his shoulders with the front bangs moved to give him sight. His attire consisted of a plain white shirt with one of the sleeves being blue and a pair of pale green jean shorts. The yellow vest over his shirt tells her that the man worked in the area, but she couldn't help but notice a crystal hanging by his neck.

"Here," the Zentradi boss said to the man, handing him a slip of paper. "Here's your last paycheque."

"What, am I fired," he asked the big guy, looking over the slip.

"Of course you are, Hayate. You slack off when it's sunny to bathe under the sun, and you slack off when it's raining because it makes you feel blue."

"Cheapskate," the man, now identified as Hayate, muttered under his breath, looking at Ruby. "Who is she?"

"A new member of Delta Platoon, apparently. She was asking us about the Var incidents that happened over the few weeks."

"Oh." Hayate then looked at her lazily, making her uncomfortable. "Sorry, ma'am, but there hasn't been any here. If that's all, then can I—" The sound of police sirens cut him off, making him, Ruby and the boss look out to see police vehicles passing by.

"There was a stowaway," the Zentradi said out loud, getting Ruby's attention. "Well, with the Var riots, the time for peace is long gone." He then looked at Hayate. "Anyway, it's your last day, so don't end it on a bad note." He then turned his back. "Shame. You get jobs done when you weren't lazy."

With that said, he went back inside the office building as Hayate and Ruby separated to do their business. The young reaper, after getting some information about the previous Var outbreaks, has been asking the other workers about what they know about the incidents weeks ago. Unfortunately, they only gave her the same kind of knowledge she earned from their boss.

While asking them, Ruby heard the familiar song from Walkure, Jiritikku Beginner ( **ジリチイック** **BEGINNER** ) playing on the intercoms, not helping but whistling to the tune of the song. The sound of fast machinery pulled her away from her whistling, making her look out to see Hayate piloting a Workroid unit and placing the containers in the stacks. While she was watching, she was intrigued that instead of the machine moving slow properly, Hayate was moving his to the point where it was literally dancing.

"There he goes again," one of the workers near her commented. "Dancing on the job yet again."

"You better not break that," the worker beside him added in before laughing.

"Maybe you should try piloting a Workroid like that," Ruby muttered under her breath.

" **Aimai I MY ME & YOU**," she heard a female voice sing out somewhere in the area. " **Kore wa gatagata gosadou, sou you kaunto shinaide… Jiri—** "

The singing came to an end as Hayate's Workroid opened the container where it was coming from, and Ruby rubbed her eyes to see what it was. In the crate filled with apples was a girl wearing a pale red hood over what appeared to be a dress. The young reaper felt a nerve pop, thinking the girl stole her idea, but then calmed down realizing that other people could wear red hoods. Looking back, she made out the girl's hair color to be a mix between orange and yellow. She also noticed a heart shaped object in the girl's hair, dismissing it as an accessory. She smirked as to how the girl took being noticed.

"I-I'm sorry," the girl suddenly spoke up, bowing down to Hayate. "C-could you please let me go?"

"Could she be the stowaway that guy talked about," Ruby asked herself, watching the scene unfold between the Workroid pilot and the stowaway.

"Here," she was surprised to hear Hayate say that as his mech offered a hand. "Hop off."

"Huh," the girl was shocked. "You're letting me go?"

"I figured you had your reasons."

"Th-thank you very much," she cried in a comedic way, making Ruby snicker in the background. "But yeah, I definitely do. The mayor told me, 'You're already fourteen. Stop wasting your life away, so go get married to the apple farm heir.' I told him no, but he insisted that I do, so I took a chance and snuck on a ship, but my butt hurt and using the restroom was hard.

"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Freyja Wion. I am truly… truly…" she looks down with her eyes closed as she said that, only to look back up as her stomach growled. "Hungry…"

Ruby couldn't help but burst into laughter, not taking in anymore nonsense and surprising the workers near her. She couldn't believe that the Stowaway now known as Freyja left to get away from a proposed wedding and hiding away in an apple container. What was even funnier to her was the fact that Freyja's facial expressions took its toll on her. She has to stop herself from laughing after seeing the workers giving her a look, so she got up and apologized before walking away innocently.

* * *

"Seriously? The stowaway left home because she didn't want to get married?"

Yang heard everything from her little sister ever since she suddenly got the call from her. She wished she was assigned to be with Ruby for the recon, but she can't argue against Molder's decision to have her guard Makina on Al Shahal. While being with her wasn't so bad, Yang started to feel insecure about her own chest, looking between herself and Makina's breasts and thinking the latter's may be bigger than hers.

" _Yup,_ " Ruby confirmed on her side of the call. " _And the best part is that she said she was hungry, despite sitting in a crate of apples._ "

"Yikes, remind me to never act like that, Rubes" she told her sister before shutting off the call, looking at Makina's attire. Her disguise consisted of a purple shirt that lacked any straps and sleaves along with a short skirt, covered in a light violet robe with part of it acting as a cape. The blonde, wearing a bikini top adorned in her colors with a pair of jeans and the Delta Platoon jacket, mentally pouted as the disguise still left enough skin for imagination.

"Hmm," the singer looked ay Yang curiously, unaware of how uncomfortable she's making her. "Is something the matter Yangyang?"

"Not fair," was all she heard from the blonde before grabbing her glass, drinking the contents within it. She melted into the taste of the lime colored cooler in her hands while smiling at Yang's attempts to get a strawberry sunrise with no ice and a little umbrella, only for the waiter to give her a glass of water. She heard her mutter 'asshole' under her breath as the blonde took the drink and chugged it down in one go.

" _This is Mikumo,_ " they heard the head singer announce on the coms. " _Situation is normal. Makina and Reina, how is it going?_ "

"This is Makimaki," the pink haired girl happily replied. "Nothing special here at Shahal City—" she stopped as her glasses landed on her nose, giving her a sight of a few mechs consisting of legs and a head. "Those… those are the Zentradi Regult 104s. Aren't they cute?"

"Uh, I don't know," Yang spoke up, looking through binoculars to see the machines. "I have to say those things take the saying 'sever the torso' to a whole new level. Hate to say this, but those Regults are NOT cute."

"How could you say that, Yangyang?" Makina turned off her coms before looking at her with a serious expression. "Those Regult 104 models were upgraded variants of the Esbeliban Regult battlepods used in Space War I. How dare you insult such a beautiful machine?"

"OK, OK. Jeez, it's like I'm talking to Ruby, only this time, you're a mech nut, not a gun nut."

* * *

After finishing up her patrol over at the worksite, Ruby held on a pout on her face over how little information she had earned from the people there. She had learned that Yang was arguing with Makina over the Zentradi mechs stationed on the planet's surface, Weiss split up with Mirage to find Mikumo and that Blake stuck to the rooftops of the city. She quietly envied that they get to be in Shahal City while she herself has to go to the industrial districts. She only sighed after knowing that one of her duties were completed, only to look out as police sirens passed by her.

"Huh, what was that all about," she muttered to herself in thought.

"Hey, what's with all of the commotion," one of the workers near her asked.

"Apparently, the stowaway was found hiding underground," the other worker told his pal, grabbing Ruby's attention. "I hear that they're going to take her back home."

"Stowaway," she whispered, remembering who they were referring to. "Oh no."

She ran back inside the complex, shocking everyone as they saw her speed through them and the occupied Workroids. She never paid them any mind, with her mind racing about the girl that hid herself in the apple container to get away from marriage. Eventually, she had reached the spot where the sirens had stopped, overlooking the scene unfold as police and some people she thought were from a supply ship surrounding Freyja.

"Come on, girl," one of the men shouted out to her. "You have nowhere to go. Just give yourself up."

"I won't," Freyja shouted back at them, backing towards the fence. "I'm not going home. I need to get to Ragna."

"You should have thought about that before stowing away on our ship, young lass. Guess we're going to have to teach you some damn manners."

"Man, I thought the thugs I took out before going to Beacon were annoying," Ruby whispered to herself before calling the Aether, reaching Arad. "Commander, I'm witnessing a situation that would escalate further. Permission to interfere?"

" _If you think your actions are just, then I see no objections_ ," she heard the commander point out. " _Just make sure to get back to your objective, Third Lieutenant._ "

"Roger." She turned off the coms before seeing the scene again. "My actions may be just, but it may get me in trouble. Well, here goes nothing."

With that said, she immediately got up before jumping down, landing her foot on one of the men while surprising Freyja. The man only groaned in pain before lashing out at Ruby, only for her to jump off his face and kicking him down to the ground. The officer behind him then charged the young reaper with his hand out, causing her to grab his wrist and judo throwing him down on the asphalt. Mentally, she had thanked Captain Johnson for the Judo lessons he gave her.

"Wha… wha…" was all that Freyja could get out of her mouth, going wide eyed over what the young girl did to her pursuers.

"Great," one of the men Ruby took down muttered while getting up in pain. "First a stowaway and now a young fighter."

Before he could say anymore, the sound of an engine roared in the complex, and Ruby and Freyja looked up to see Hayate driving a hover scooter and smashing it on the scouting device before landing on the ground. He looked around to see the pursuers in shock over what he did, trying to get their bearings over the situation. He then looked and offered his hand over to the girls.

"Come on," he said to them, revving up the engine. "Get on. We're getting out of here."

"It's you again," Freyja muttered in shock before nodding. "Alright."

As she got on the scooter, Hayate looked at Ruby with the same idea. "You too. I'm getting us out."

"No can do, Hayate Immelmann," she smirked as she said that, tapping her legs. "I don't know about you, but I'm a pretty fast runner."

"Whatever. Just try to keep up."

He then started the scooter up before driving off, scaring Freyja as she clung onto him for dear life. Ruby's smirk turned into a grin as her body leaned forward, and before the pursuers could even flinch, she activated her semblance and sped off towards the exit following the young man. She could have sworn that she caught a glimpse of Mirage before leaving, but she pushed the thoughts behind before reaching Hayate.

He was surprised to see her actually catch up to him, and he was driving a high speed hover scooter. He noticed that Ruby did in fact sprint towards him at the same speed his vehicle was going, but he saw rose petals coming out of nowhere from where she was. He thought it was a strange phenomenon, but knew that it wasn't the Var Syndrome causing this. He then stopped his vehicle in an alleyway of Old Shahal, the rural town near the main city, noticing how dark it has gotten since he left is old workplace.

"Well," Ruby started, startling Freyja. "I think it's safe to say we got out of there before things got out of hand."

"Yeah," Hayate agreed with her, grabbing his bag while his passenger got off. "However, the law enforcement might try to catch up now due to the… rose… petals…" He noticed that the rose petals Ruby left have disappeared. "What the hell?"

"Hmm? Is something the matter?"

"I thought for sure I saw rose petals as you ran. Where the hell did they go?" He looks at Ruby, who only whistled innocently before brushing it off. "Oh well, at least they won't find us anymore. Come on, we need to distance ourselves from my ride."

He then led the small group away from the scooter and further in the alleyways, giving him time to look over the two girls. He already had a conversation with Freyja, learning that she left home in order to audition for Walkure's fifth spot. It was a foolish dream in his opinion, but he can tell that she's determined to get the spot. What intrigued his curiosity was the girl he met before Freyja.

Ruby could tell that he was looking at her with a curious look, but she could only sigh as to why. "OK, I get that you have questions about me, right? Ask away. I'll try to answer to the best of my abilities."

"Well, since you brought it up," Freyja spoke up, looking at Ruby's jacket. "Are you a member of the Delta Platoon?"

"That was quick. Yes, I actually am a member. Third Lieutenant Ruby Rose, at your service. Now—GAHH!"

"THAT'S SOO COOL!" The girl shouted as she got close to the young reaper. "IS IT POSSIBLE TO HAVE YOU BRING ME OVER TO RAGNA? I NEED TO AUDITION FOR WALKURE RIGHT AWAY!"

"Um, well, uh…"

"Give her some space, would you," Hayate interrupted, separating the girls away from each other. "The more important question is what the hell did you do? I saw rose petals coming out of you, and then all of a sudden, they're gone. What are you?"

She had to stop and think about that. "Well, that is the million dollar question. OK, I'll tell you. I'm a human from a planet far off the globular cluster called Remnant. We were pretty separated from every other way world, but we had our own problems. Monsters called Grimm roamed our lands, and we secluded ourselves into the safety of four kingdoms."

"Sounds kind of sad," Freyja commented.

"Tell me about it." She then sighed before continuing. "Anyways, I was living my life to become a Huntress, and my semblance, which you saw, allowed me to run at super high speeds. I was on my way to a kingdom with my friends when we saw something horrible. The Var suddenly reached my home, causing the people to go crazy. I thought for sure I was dreaming, but then I saw the Delta Platoon come and save the kingdom with Walkure, disarming the VF-171s that were somehow underneath the surface. I impressed the commander when I commandeered one of those Valkyries, and that's how my team and I found out that we're not actually alone."

"Wow, that is pretty intense," Hayate said, deep in thought. "Well, you don't seem like a bad person."

"Thanks, I get that a lot."

"Now what about you," he looked at Freyja as he said that. "Which planet are you from? I know someone on a transport ship, so why don't you just—"

"I'm not going home," she interrupted him.

"Are you gonna fly to Ragna?"

"I will. I can fly if I ride the wind. If I risk my life, I can fly."

"Risk your life?" He began to argue with her, making Ruby witness another scene. "This audition isn't worth your life."

"It is. Why do you keep implying that the auditions are stupid?"

"Uh, guys," Ruby tried calling out, only to be ignored.

"Because I don't have anything special," he admitted, shocking the young Valkyrie pilot. "I've been to a lot of places and tried a lot of things, but nothing felt right to me. I thought I could find something somewhere too. But…"

"Well I am not surprised," Freyja said while having her arms on her hips. "You can't just go _somewhere._ You have to go somewhere you want to go!" She then laughed as she turned around, jumping onto a box before launching on the wooden beam. "I want to sing songs I love for as long as I can! So I'm not going home!"

She then twirled around on the beam with a smile on her facing, making Ruby groan out. "Oh boy, she's going to slip and fall."

True to her word, Freyja's foot had slipped off the beam, causing her to fall down to the ground. Hayate had to curse his own luck before jumping in and catching her before her impact, creating a cloud of dust that covered the landing. As the smoke cleared, Ruby wiped her eyes to get rid of the excess dirt, only to see the blue haired youth on top of the stowaway. What followed was Freyja's reaction, shocking Ruby as the heart glowed a bright pink before continuously hitting Hayate's face.

"Hey, you two," the young reaper walked over to separate them, only to hear the sound of a gun.

"Don't move," she turned around to see Mirage behind them with a handgun drawn, glaring at Hayate. "You… You pervert." She rushed over and pushed Hayate down on his stomach before twisting his arm behind his back. "I caught the stowaway."

"No, you got the wrong person," he pleaded to her, only to wince in pain as she put pressure on his arm.

"Mirage…" Ruby spoke up, only to be ignored again.

"I could arrest you for sexual harassment," the Delta 04 pilot said to her prey.

"HELLO." Freyja shouted out, raising her hand. "I AM THE STOWAWAY!"

"Huh," Mirage suddenly looked at her, making quick glances between Hayate and Freyja before letting go and standing up. Ruby helped the young man get up off the ground as he rubbed his wrist to get the pain out. She then glared at Mirage, shaking her head at the mistake that she had made about the stowaway.

"Mirage, a word please," Ruby said to her, bringing her a few feet away from the two. She went into detail about how she met Hayate, about Freyja hiding in an apple container and her reason for stowing away. The older pilot then looked at the two standing there before bowing down apologizing.

"I'm sorry."

"Say, you don't work for the airport," Hayate pointed out, still tending to his wrist. "Just who are you?"

She then stood in attention, reminding Ruby of Weiss' no nonsense behaviour. "Third Fleet of Chaos Ragna, Delta Platoon First Lieutenant Mirage Farina Genius."

"Delta Platoon," Freyja repeated her, looking at Ruby. "The same as you…"

"Please, if you have any complaints, please send them to my supe—"

"By Delta Platoon," the younger girl interrupted, gaining the veteran pilot's attention. "Do you mean the one that flies with Walkure?"

"Y-Yes."

She then turned around in bliss. "Ah, this is wonderful."

"What's going on here," the pilot asked Ruby, who only shrugged.

"Apparently she's a fan of us."

"Fan?"

* * *

While her whole team were doing recon on the streets, Blake had the smart idea of watching everything from the rooftops. Looking over her own equipment, her own Gambol Shroud was left back on the Aether for, and Makina quoted, 'a top secret project between her and Ruby.' She hated leaving her Variant Ballistic Chain Scythe behind, but knew that the project might involve a new form of Valkyrie prototype.

Grabbing a pair of binoculars, she sets her sights on the Zentradi base on the outskirts of the city, watching them from afar. To her shock, she has discovered that the Zentradi themselves, in their normal height, are as tall as the mechs they pilot. Curious as to what they're up to, she grabbed an unencrypted comm device and placed it in her ear, allowing her to hear them.

" _10_ _th_ _Marine Assault Battalion, commence flight to Al Shahal,_ " she heard the head of the Zentradi forces before focusing on the two near an opened Regult 104.

" _My output isn't consistent. Can you take a look?_ "

" _Okay, in that case…_ "

Their conversation was immediately broken as the sound of an opera singer echoed across the city. The Zentradi, Blake, her teammates on the surface along with Hayate, Freyja and Mikumo were the only ones that could hear the unknown song, but the cat faunas saw a sudden change in the alien's movement patterns. They began to groan in pain as their muscle mass began to increase, with the veins becoming visible on their bodies. Their eyes then became blind with rage as they began to mobilize in the mechs.

"Oh no," Blake muttered under their breath. "This isn't good."

* * *

" _VAR ALERT HAS BEEN ISSUED! ALL CIVILIANS ARE TO REPORT TO THE NEARBY SHELTERS FOR SAFETY!_ "

Ruby heard the sirens go off all over the area, wondering what could have caused the virus to take route. She didn't understand why she had heard an unknown song once again, but as she looked, she noticed that both Hayate and Freyja heard it as well, leaving Mirage clueless as to why they reacted. She then heard her comm unit going off along with the Veteran pilot's, opting to turn it on and receive a message.

" _Attention all of Delta Platoon and Walkure,_ " Kaname was heard in their ears. " _A Var outbreak has occurred at the nearby Zentradi Base. All units are to mobilize in their VF-31s and move to assist in the defence of the city. I repeat, the Var has taken hold of the Zentradi forces._ "

"Roger that. We're on it," Ruby replied before shutting off her comms along with Mirage.

"Wait, what is going on," the young man asked the pilots, worried.

"There's been a Var outbreak," the older woman answered them. "This place is going to become a battlefield."

"A battlefield?"

"That's right," the reaper confirmed him, turning back the way she came from. "You better get out of here."

With that said, both Ruby and Mirage have left the two civilians, intent on reaching their Valkyries before the situation had worsened. Unlike what had happened back on Remnant, Ruby is now aware of the damage the Var could do to a city, and hastened her speed a little. She then turned the corner, reaching the scooter that she ran with when Hayate drove it, stopping to see Mirage get on it.

"I'm going to be driving this over to my Valkyrie," she told her, revving the engine. "I hope those civilians won't mind."

"Hayate and Freyja," Ruby asked her, getting a nod. "I think they're going to be too busy running away to notice."

"Good point." She then looked at Ruby. "Wait, how are you going to get to your Valkyrie without a means of transportation?"

"Have you forgotten? I'm going to be running using my semblance."

Mirage only nodded after hearing what she said before driving off to the horizon, allowing Ruby to sprint in the other direction, using her semblance to gain more distance away from her. She saw the Var alerts hovering over the city, reminding her of the danger she was getting herself in to. She eventually reached the main city as the sounds of explosions reached her ears, getting to the airport in the city.

Along with her Valkyrie were other VF-31 Siegfrieds and the pilots near them: her team adorning their flight suits. Each one of them had waited for their friend to get there before taking off into the battle, knowing that they needed one another to survive. Ruby only smirked before speeding off, reappearing in her own flight suit and addressing her team.

"Alright girls," she spoke up in a tone of authority. "As you all know, the Var came and took control of the Zentradi forces on this planet. Remember to disarm them of weapons and remove their means of movement. If worse comes to worse, we may need to kill. Understood?"

The girls gave off a salute. "Yes ma'am."

* * *

Chaos echoed across Shahal City as the Var controlled Zentradi forces moved, opening fire upon the area. Thousands of civilians ran for their lives as the menacing Regults marched towards the center, intent on killing as many people as possible. The menace continued its endless march of slaughter as a squad of Destroid Cheyennes appeared to stop them.

" _Attention Zentradi forces,_ " the squad leader of the N.U.N.S. forces announced. " _Consider this your only warning. Return to your base immediately. If you refuse—_ "

A barrage of missiles came from one of the Regults advancing to the city, causing the squad to open fire. They never stood a chance as the missiles impacted the Destroids directly, causing the forces to back away as the Var advanced. Due to the Regults ability to jump, they were able to avoid the bullets fired by the N.U.N.S. before destroying them. The civilians, including the scared Freyja and Hayate, watched in horror as the human forces were decimated in a matter of minutes.

The two of them never got closer to the nearby shelter as a missile impacted near them, pushing them back down to the ground covered in dirt. As they got up, they coughed out the smoke that got into their systems while observing the wrecked scenery before them. Everything went up in flames due to the Var Zentradi, until the two of them began to hear a voice echo across the area. The young girl then noticed a lone woman walking calmly in the battlefield, unsure as to what she's doing.

"About time I get to see some action," the woman spoke up in a familiar voice, tapping her foot on the ground as she threw the hat off her, causing her hair to go from green to violet. "Here we go."

 **Welcome to Walkure World**

Freyja instantly recognized the woman as her outfit suddenly changed to the iconic outfit. "I knew it. It's Mikumo."

"It's Showtime. Music is Magic."

Hayate couldn't believe his eyes, seeing that the woman in front of him was in fact Mikumo Guynever. Shaking his head, he wanted to believe that is was some crazy dream, only to hear the sound of music echoing across the area. He then looked up to see the sight of eight VF-31 Siegfrieds flying into the battlefield, with three of them dropping off three other girls while they all deployed the Cygnus drones contained in them. Their outfits then changed into the iconic outfits of Makina Nakajima, Reina Prowler and Kaname Buccaneer.

"Music is Love."

"Music is Hope."

"Music is Life."

"Lend an ear to the songs of a Goddess," Mikumo started as Walkure landed on the ground, becoming in sync with the others. " **The Super Dimensional Venus, Walkure.** "

When they finished, the song Koi! Halation THE WAR ( **恋！** **Halation THE WAR** ) began to play all around them as they sang the lyrics. Everyone that had been running before now cheered for the idol group as they now entered the fray of the battle, getting close to the Var Zentradi to increase their power of their song. Each of the Var controlled mechs continued their fire on the surrounding area, only for the Cygnus drones to stop the bullets from impacting before hovering around the Regults.

As Hayate kept watch over the battle in awe, the VF-31s began their own attack as well against the Regults as one of them flew with Mikumo. It then changed into Battroid with the lead singer still on its shoulder as it unsheathed its knife and cutting off one Regult's arms before firing on the legs, disabling it completely.

Another VF-31, sporting the grim reaper emblem, flew into one of the intersections of the old city, gunning down one Zentradi mech before changing into Battroid mode, surrounded by two Regults and one Glaug officer pod. However, in a blink of an eye, the Valkyrie easily gunned down all three Var Zentradi, knocking them all out of commission. It then shifted its focus on Kaname, moving towards her as one Zentradi mech broke through the building startling her. It never fired upon her as the Siegfried fired at it, causing it to collapse.

Hayate knew that they were no ordinary pilots either, seeing that they were handling the Var Zentradi with ease while the N.U.N.S. forces got decimated. His thoughts were erased when two Regult 104s reached him and Freyja, but before they could open fire, a Yellow and Black colored VF-31 charged at them and drop kicked them down. It then got up quickly before pinning one of the Var controlled mechs to the ground, tearing off one of its arms before punching and severing the other. It then got up and kicked the machine up into the air before opening fire on the legs, disabling it completely. The other Regult only got up recently, only to bear witness to the Valkyrie severing its legs with its combat knife.

" _Nice going there, Yang,_ " Hayate heard Ruby's voice echo through the battlefield during the song, seeing a Black and red Valkyrie with a rose emblem on it. " _But can you actually go and top this_ _?_ "

To prove her prowess, Ruby flew her Siegfried into the Regults approaching the surviving Destroids, opening fire to gain their attention. Her plan worked as some of the reactive bullets collided with two of the Zentradi mechs' legs, causing the others to look right at her. Smirking, she shifted her VF-31 into Gerwalk mode and flew towards them, seeing them jump right into the air. She had wanted them to do that, so she opened fire on the rest of the Regults to disable their legs, causing them to crash on the ground.

" _Such a show off, Rubes,_ " Yang spoke up to her.

" _Ehehe,_ " Ruby only laughed at what her sister had said, seeing bullets fly passed her and turning around to see another downed Zentradi mech.

" _Even at times like this,_ " she heard Weiss point out, causing her mech to look at a VF-31 with a snowflake emblem on it. " _You still act and behave like a child._ "

" _Sorry Weiss._ "

While her and her team left to take care of the rest of the Var Zentradi lurking in the wreckage of the city, Walkure continued on with their performance with the power of song. More Cygnus drones displayed holographic dancers in the air as they flew around the popular idol group. Freyja continued to be at awe over the group, wanting to be a part of Walkure even more.

The sound of a girl crying caught her's and Hayate's attention immediately, looking at a Queadluun Rhea approaching a scared civilian. This caught the Attention of Mikumo herself as she jumped down and flew over with the Cygnus drones, defending herself as the mech took notice of her and opened fire. Even as the barrier dimmed, Mikumo managed to land on the face of the mech, shocking the Var controlled pilot as she kept on singing. Over time, the Zentradi's appearance reverted back to normal as Mikumo jumped off.

"Deculture," was all that the pilot could say as she landed on Delta 03's Siegfried, joining her group as they finish up the song. Delta 04's mech launched a drone to ensure that no more Var infected were present, giving them the assurance that Zentradi are now back to normal. When the song ended, the crowd began to cheer for Walkure, grateful for their efforts of saving them.

"They neutralized the Var with music," Hayate muttered in awe, surprised that Walkure finished the Var.

" _Alright,_ " Yang shouted out in her Valkyrie. " _We showed those Var Zentradi what we Remnans are capable of. What do you think girls?_ "

" _Yang, a Var controlled Zentradi literally walked through a building,_ " Weiss pointed out. " _All you did was constantly punch their mechs out of submission._ "

" _At least I did better that you, Ice Queen. You just flash that gun pod around like you're a freaking princess._ "

" _Did you seriously go there, you damn brute?_ "

" _Guys,_ " Ruby shouted out. " _All that matters is that the people are safe._ " She then noticed that out in the distance, Blake had entered the scene leading a squad of VF-171 Nightmares. " _About time she brought the cavalry. Good job, Blake._ "

" _You could have come with and assisted with the Zentradi fighter pods, girls_ ," Blake muttered in her own Siegfried, adorning the belladonna lily emblem on it. " _I didn't realize the Zentradi had air support as well._ "

" _Well all that matters is that everything is finally over,_ " Yang concluded as she looked at the sky, seeing something far off. " _Hey girls, does Walkure usually do fireworks at the end of each concert._ "

Blake only looked up to see what she was referring to. " _Those aren't fireworks… those are explosions. That's where the N.U.N.S. Garrison Fleet is._ "

" _What?_ "

" _Commander Molders, Third Lieutenant Rose,_ " Ernest's voice came on their channel, alerting them and the Delta Platoon. " _Unknowns have destroyed the Al Shahal Garrison Fleet and are heading your way._ "

True to his word, RWBY had looked up to the sky to see six fighters entering the airspace, flying into Shahal City and engaging the VF-171s. They had noticed that the design of the new opponents were not Zentradi based, and assumed it was another race. Ruby however went wide eyed as the fighters got closer, realizing that they look exactly like the drawing Nora had shown her back on Remnant. Seeing as they now joined the fight, she became determined to fight them, wanting to know which one was the White Knight.

" _Yang, Weiss, get into the city and help with the evacuation,_ " she ordered them, surprising them with her tone of voice. " _Make sure no harm comes to the civilians. Blake, you and I are going to greet our new 'friends.'_ "

Each member of RWBY separated to fulfill their roles in the current battle, with Ruby and Blake shifting their VF-31s into Fighter mode to engage the unknowns. Blake doesn't know why her team leader was so interested in the unknowns so badly, but she put the thought away as she flew next to Messer's Siegfried, assisting him in the fight. Ruby, going after the one closer to her, opened fire on her target, only for the fighter to dodge all of her bullets.

"What the…" she said in shock. "No one ever dodged my bullets before… Guess that makes you the first to do so."

Keeping up her assault, she kept her pace on the unknown fighter with it dodges her bullets, getting her more worked up. It then released two mini drones off its sides to surprise her, causing her aim to falter as they opened fire on her plane. She was forced to break away from the unknown plane to shake off the drones, doing every maneuver she could think off. Eventually, she shifted her Siegfried into Gerwalk mode and fired at the two mini drones, satisfied as the bullets collided with them.

Her satisfaction went to despair afterwards as the plane she pursued beforehand came up and opened fired on her Valkyrie, causing her to try to outmaneuver the enemy. Groaning over how skilled the unknown's pilot is, she had to wonder if the one chasing her was the White Knight. However, it immediately broke off as Arad flew in to rescue her, allowing her to thank her CO before pursuing another enemy plane.

As for Blake, she has assisted Messer in chasing down a pair of fighters, avoiding missile fire and gunning the explosives down. The pair that piloted the opposing fighters looked at shock as both she and Delta 02 managed to keep up with their planes. As the two of them were about to open fire, another unknown gunned them away from the others, getting them to focus on the one fighter. They escalated up in the air in trying to take the plane down, but even they knew that they were dealing with someone entirely skilled on a different level. It was as they passed by one another that the pilot that chased them, a blonde male, took the image of the Siegfrieds' emblems.

"A grim reaper… and a belladonna…," he muttered before reengaging the two VF-31s, keeping them locked in a stalemate battle.

As Ruby continued her battle in the air, she is now growing unsure as to which of the new planes was the White Knight Nora mentioned. Her thoughts disappeared as she saw explosions erupting on the surface, discovering that more of the Zentradi were still infected with the Var Syndrome as functional Regults appeared on the battlefield. Cursing her luck, she broke off from the fight to fly down to the city, opening fire and disabling most of the Zentradi mechs in the process. She then laid eyes as Mikumo emerged rubble, believing that the new arrivals caught her by surprise.

"They have done it now," the idol muttered under her breath, beginning to glow as she started the song Ikenai Borderline! ( **いけないボダライン** ) to the Var infected. The rest of Walkure immediately followed her lead and continued to sing for the people running away while continuing their work as a tactical sound unit. What they didn't count on was a fifth voice joining in as Freyja, hiding behind the rubble with Hayate, suddenly reacted to the violence.

"No…" she started, keeping her eyes on Walkure as they avoid missile fire. "No…! This feels amazing… I can't hold it in." The heart in her hair begins to lengthen while glowing. "Rune rune… rune rune… Rune… FLASH!" She then got up with an excited face. "Time to show some Windermere power!"

"What, she's a Windermerean," Hayate asked out of shock as she left him behind and started singing. "Is she risking her life? That's crazy."

The voices of two N.U.N.S soldiers brought him out of his shock as he looked around, laying eyes on the pilots getting the wounded out of the VF-171 on the ground. Cursing his luck, he rushed over towards it, passing the men and getting inside the open cockpit. Starting up the Valkyrie, he began to strap his arms and legs onto the controls, allowing him to control the mech and getting it back on its feet.

"Just like a Workroid," he said to himself before hearing an explosion, looking to see Freyja in front of a Var controlled Glaug. Kicking it into high gear, the VF-171 he commandeered rushed towards the Var Zentradi, tackling it down into the ground before looking at the Windermerean. "You Okay? We're running."

With that said, he proceeded to pick her with the Nightmare's hand, turning around to see the Glaug getting back up on its feet. He then fooled around with the controls as the mech began its assault against him, dodging its rounds and plasma beams by dancing as Mikumo stood and watched. He then noticed an upcoming Regult with two missile launcher packs coming towards him, and as he dodged another laser blast, he kicked the Zentradi mech's back leg, causing it to stumble on the Glaug and collapsing on the ground.

Yang, being the closest Delta pilot for helping with the evacuation, took notice of the Valkyrie Hayate was piloting, whistling over the dance moves he's pulling off while avoiding getting hit from the Var Zentradi. From rolling to sidestepping the Var mechs, he noticed one Regult opening fire upon him with the built in arm cannons, so he moved the VF-171's legs in a strafing motion before coming behind it. With one quick strike, he roundhouse kicked the machine down to the ground before regaining his balance.

"I feel the rhythm again," Freyja spoke up in the Valkyrie's hand, before seeing the missile impact the VF-171 in the back. The machine lost its balance and turned around to notice more explosives coming towards it, surprising Hayate. Overcoming it, he powered the VF-171's thrusters to maximum, scaling up an abandoned building as the missiles collided with it. He then shifted the Valkyrie into Gerwalk mode before flying off in the skies.

"We're flying," the Windermerean in the mech's hand pointed out before continuing to sing, the heart in her hair glowing.

Ruby, after returning to the skies to take on the unknown Valkyries, have noticed the VF-171 flying up into the sky in the battlefield holding onto Freyja. Realizing that the pilot could be Hayate, she broke off her skirmish in order to reach him, only for the Unknown to gain the same idea and speed passed her. She went wide eyed as the fighter opened fire on the VF-171, destroying both a wing and a thruster in the process before flying off. Ruby knew she couldn't save them and fight the unknown at the same time.

"Mirage," she contacted Delta 04, bringing her up on the screen. "Get to that Valkyrie, and stop it from crashing down to the surface. I'll cover you."

" _Roger,_ " the Genius pilot responded before flying towards the plummeting plane, changing into Battroid mode and catching it mid-air before contacting Hayate. " _Pilot, are you OK—wait a minute, who are you?_ "

While Mirage focused on safely descending the VF-171 to the ground, Ruby made sure to make short work on the drones the unknowns have launched beforehand. She then looked down to see that all of the Zentradi have now reverted to normal, before seeing that the unknowns are backing off. Confused, she shifted her Siegfried into Gerwalk mode to hover in the air, never figuring out which one of the fighters was the one from the dream Nora had. She then looked back down to witness the crowd of people surrounding Walkure, with Mikumo raising her hand to make a W with her fingers.

" **May the sea of stars,** " she started with the girls, finishing it on her own. "Be blessed by the goddess!"

* * *

 **A/N: OK, this has to be my first… LONGEST chapter I have ever typed… EVER!**

 **This here marks the beginning of the first half of the Macross Delta story, and this, like each other chapter written before, started a week before it's posted. It means that after I post one chapter, another one is started minutes afterwards. Though, it was really hard to actually fit in events that happened in the episode and compress it into one chapter, I think I did well. I also had to take out some scenes to make the chapter work, but overall, I'll leave it up to you to decide.**

 **Reviews I can't message back:**

 **Freebyte:** _ **That explains things! Great chapter the fight between Yang and Blake was bombastic! The reconciliation between the two came too early though.**_

 **Well, I don't want them to continuously hate each other forever. There may be a slight skirmish between the two about the past, but it won't stop them from realizing their mistakes.**

 **Yuiharime:** _ **Love this crossover! Are there any pairings for team RWBY?**_

 **I don't honestly know. There are a few options that are now available for me at the moment, but the closest I could think of is Blake and Messer. Reason being is that there are times when they are both serious, they tend to be alone a few times, and they both have a dark past. Other than that, I don't know.**

 **Tendaysromeo:** _ **Like the chapter! Yang and Blake's fight was good though I would prefer it to be longer. Knew the moment Makina and Ruby got a talk about machines that they will get along well. The mercat at the last part was funny!**_

 **I'm glad you like it man. Now that you bring it up, the fight is a little shorter than I hoped. But the thing is that fight scenes most of the time are not my strong suit. As for the two nuts Makina and Ruby, I had to bring up the teams weapons to her at some point, and that they also work well as a team of mechanics… well a veteran mechanic and a rookie mechanic. And I had to add that mercat for the laughs. Maybe Blake and that mercat will duel over the fish.**

 **With that out of the way, I'm BlazefireDrago, signing out.**


	6. Ragnan troubles

**Disclaimer: RWBY is owned by Monty Owm and Rooster Teeth Productions, while Macross is owned by Shoji Kawamori and Studio Satelight.**

* * *

It has been a half an hour since the Var Outbreak ended in the outskirts of Shahal City, and while the damage was kept to a minimum, Ruby still felt like she had failed in some way or form. Wreckage littered the streets of the city as police tape closed off many sections of the town, while the remains of the Zentradi mechs lay on the ground as collateral. While both civilian and Zentradi military lives were saved, there were bodies of the fallen warrior aliens still placed on the wreckage.

As of now, she is going over the information of the damaged sustained in her VF-31 Siegfried, delighted to know that it is still capable of flight. She however, looked over the sitting form of Hayate Immelmann, sighing over how he managed to get his hands on a VF-171 Nightmare. Still, she couldn't help but smile as it gave her a flashback of when she did the same thing on Remnant. The only difference was that while her case had fully operational units, his was a more battered form as it took damage before his hijacking.

She had noticed that her sister Yang was on her way over to her, and so she took off her helmet before jumping off of her Valkyrie. She can tell that something had been bugging her older sister, and it somewhat showed when she ordered her to defend the civilians while she went after the unknowns with Blake.

"Hey," the blonde sister spoke up. "Are you feeling OK? You're kinda not yourself at the moment."

"Just worked up, is all," was what she told her. "You know, there was something odd about those fighters that suddenly showed up."

"You mean the ones that appeared out of nowhere, destroyed the whole garrison fleet in orbit And made an attempt on Walkure's lives? Yeah, I have a bone to pick with them."

"They did what?"

"You didn't know, little sis? One of those unknowns tried to kill them with missiles. It would have worked, but they came back stronger to kick the Var's butt."

She could only giggle over Yang's description, before looking at her with a serious expression. "Tell me sis. How are the civilians faring?"

"Well," the elder sister stopped to look at an N.U.N.S. force calling out. "Everyone appears fine, but I'm not really sure. Our best bet is to leave it to the local forces that survived the Var attack."

"Yeah." She saw the look on Yang's face. "You're not going to leave it alone?"

"Nope. Spill it, sis."

"Alright… it's because those things the unknowns flew in resembled a fighter in Nora's dream."

"Wait, did you say…" she was interrupted by the sound of footprints, making both sisters look at an enraged Mirage approaching Hayate. "Uh oh, how much do you want to bet that she'll beat the crap out of him?"

"I'm not betting. I know it will happen."

"Civilian," they watched the scene unfold as Mirage shouted at Hayate, not helping but chuckle.

"Hey, thanks for saving me," the young man started, oblivious to the aura around her until she punched him, making both Ruby and Yang wince out. "Ow… What the hell was that for?!"

"Do you realize that you just hijacked a military unit? Make one mistake and the whole operation falls apart, putting the city at risk! Even the smallest lapse can cost you your life!"

"Would you calm down for a sec? Just listen to me firs—" he was interrupted as she gripped his shirt and pushed him into a car.

"Don't tread on the battlefield so lightly!"

"Heh, I'm not the only one who screwed up." He saw her face light up in confusion. "I saw you. Earlier, you were off beat when you took off." Mirage then earned a shocked look as he continued. "Aren't _you_ the one taking this too lightly?"

"Why you—"

"Mirage, what are you doing," she was interrupted by the commander of Delta Platoon. "We're heading back."

She only scowled before saluting, speaking in a professional manner. "If you have any further complaints, please direct them towards my superiors. Excuse me."

With that said, she turned her back on Hayate and made her way back to her own Valkyrie, not seeing him raise a fist locked in his arms. The two observing girls only snickered over the attitude shown from the veteran pilot, backing up a bit as she glared at them. They then looked at each other before shrugging it off, with Yang going back to her own VF-31 standing between Blake's and Chuck's.

A few feet away from the Delta Platoon, the crowd kept on cheering for Walkure as they began to board the shuttle, with Weiss keeping security for them. Many of the people have already earned autographs from each of the sound unit's members, with most of them being from Mikumo herself. Just as they were about to enter the craft, on girl immediately grabbed their attention, making them look at Freyja.

"Mikumo," she called out to the singers. "I'll be at your audition next week! I'm gonna sing next to you!"

"That girl," the violet girl whispered to her partner.

"Yeah," Kaname voiced back, shouting out to the Windermerean. "We could hear you sing!"

Her face adopted a shocked expression as Makina called out. "Your singing was so cute!"

"It resonated inside my chest," Reina added in, pointing at herself. "It felt nice."

"It felt great."

The young girl felt embarrassed as a blush heavily formed on her face. "Oh my gosh…"

"Perhaps she's the one," Mikumo mused before speaking out. "We're looking forward to see you…"

" **On Ragna.** "

With that being said, the sound unit said their farewells to Al Shahal before finally entering the shuttle, leaving Weiss to head towards her VF-31. Freyja began to imagine her life if she was a part of Walkure, smiling over the memories that will come to her. As the shuttle lifted and took off with Delta Platoon acting as escort, she was joined by Hayate as they looked up at the sky, wondering where their future would take them.

* * *

"So this is all that we could get? Just jammed video footage?"

After both Walkure and Delta Platoon have re-entered the Aether, Arad made no time to waste as he, Messer and Ruby walked over to the control room. Something about those unknowns didn't sit right with him as he had observed the flight pattern of one particular fighter. The maneuvers it performed while avoiding both Messer and Blake's bullets reminded him of something from his past at a particular planet, and so he had his number two and the Third Lieutenant come with him to observe the video footage, only to see jammed footage instead.

"Correct, sir," Messer told him after pressing a few keys, bringing up the footage of the Valkyries that engaged the unknowns. "I also tried to get something out from the others', but like mine, it appears we can't get a proper reading from them."

"So you're telling me that we don't know exactly who we're dealing with," the commander asked before sighing, digging out a bag of fried jellyfish. "I just don't get it. Why do they have to show up now?"

"Are they connected to 'him,'" they heard Ruby whisper, seeing her dig out a drawing. "Could they actually be connected to the one called the 'White Knight?'"

"The White Knight," Messer mused, thinking. "I don't know. But for now, we'll list the unknowns as enemies of high importance."

"He's right, Ruby." Arad then saw Kaname enter the room with her own data pad. "Ahh, Kaname. Nice performance out in the field there." He then offered the snack. "Want some Barrette shredded jellyfish?"

"I'll pass," she told him while looking at the datapad, glimpsing to see Ruby snag it off him before looking at Messer. "Thanks for the help back there. I mean it."

"Just doing my duty," was all he said to her.

"So, what is it that you wanted to show us," Messer asked her after giving up on his snack, seeing her pull up an image.

"This." She brought up an image of a girl Ruby noticed, getting some expressions from the three pilots.

"Wait, I know that girl," Ruby pointed out. "That's Freyja Wion, the stowaway that I told Yang about."

"What is that glowing in her hair," Messer pointed out the heart shaped object.

"I thought for sure that that thing was just an accessory."

"It's not an accessory, but a Rune," Arad answered the two pilots. "That means that she's a Windermerean. Does she have a Fold Receptor factor?"

"Yes," the singer replied to him, typing in a few keys. "And it's abnormally high to boot. Even Mikumo's output reacted to her voice." She then handed over the datapad to him. "And this is what you had asked for, commander."

He looked over the intel given to him, noticing the picture of the young man that hijacked the VF-171 during the battle of Al Shahal.

"Hayate Immelmann, huh?"

* * *

A week after what had happened on Al Shahal has passed, and Ragna has become a sight of a major event being held at the Macross Elysion. Thousands of girls were sighted at the feet of the towering base, each pumping themselves as signs labelled 'Fifth Walkure Member Auditions' broadcast themselves on the holo screens. News teams stood at the edge of the gatherings, recording the story of how one of the girls will become a member of Walkure if they succeed in the audition. However, one girl stood out from the rest, getting attention from all of them present.

Adorning the thigh length dress with a black lace neckline, complete with white heeled wedge boots, she stead fully walks passed the contestants and news reporters alike. Her flowing white hair was still kept in a side ponytail, but the lack of a tiara was present. Her pale blue bolero jacket was replaced with the jacket adorning the Delta Platoon's insignia, reminding the girls that she was one of their pilots. That girl was Weiss Schnee, and she was making her way into the reception area.

She's heard many compliments coming from the girls surrounding her as she kept moving, ranging from her hair to her ice blue eyes. She never paid them any mind as her focus was on her destination. Arriving in the foyer of the base, she noticed that even more girls were present for the auditions. However, she finally caught a glimpse of the people she was looking for, as she saw Chuck, Ruby and Mirage on the second floor on the balcony. She flashed her Chaos ID card to the receptionists before moving upstairs, greeting her fellow pilots and team members.

"Heyya Weiss," Ruby called out to her. "I'd thought you wouldn't show up today."

"And miss out on a chance to see these girls fail? Hardly," she told the young reaper, looking down below. "But I didn't realize that we would get this many. I guess it shows you how popular Walkure really is."

"Yeah, it really does." The young girl then leaned down on the railing. "I guess we have been all caught up in our own little world of Remnant that we shut out all other influence of the other planets. I bet you that even Atlas doesn't know about Chaos, the N.U.N.S., Walkure and the Var Syndrome right now."

"Knowing them, they probably believe it to be some sort of Grimm born virus. I bet they even pinned the Var attack at Mistral on to the White Fang."

"Still doesn't explain the appearance of the VF-171 Nightmares in the town." Ruby then looked around the lobby. "If Remnant really is supposed to be an independent planet with no contact to the N.U.N.S. forces, then how come we saw N.U.N.S. Valkyries come up from underground?"

"I have a slight theory on that, Ruby," the heiress turned pilot answered her. "It may be possible that a small portion of the fleet got into an accident while Fold Jumping, bringing them about a certain set of years back into the past. When they reached Remnant, they immediately forgot their connection and forged new lives."

"Seriously," the young reaper asked, not believing it.

"Well there are still a lot of things we don't know about Fold Jumping in general. It could be possible."

"Yeah, maybe."

"Either way, it doesn't change who you are right now," Chuck added in to the conversation, fishing out an apple from his pocket. "You just have a different history than we do. All that matters right now is that we're all here, on Ragna."

"That's right." Weiss was surprised over what Ruby and Chuck had told her, listening to the young girl continue. "And right now, we have a bigger job: protecting the people on other worlds from the Var while safeguarding Walkure."

"And that is what Delta specializes on." Chuck then took a bite out of his apple before looking out. "Though it is a shame though. Look at all of those girls, trying to be the next member. Why can't we just let them all in?"

"Do they even understand what it means," Mirage started, speaking up for the first time. "To sing on the battlefield?"

"Did you say something, Mirage," Ruby asked her, only to be interrupted by a scream coming down from the lobby. Looking down, she has noticed both Freyja and Hayate over at the reception, with the former shocked over something. She never thought that she would see them again after what had happened at Al Shahal, so while being curious, she and the other pilots went down to hear what the commotion was all about.

"What do you mean I can't join in the auditions," the young Windermerean asked the front desk with tears coming out of her eyes.

"As I said earlier," one of the receptionists, the Elysion bridge operator Beth Muscat, replied with a sheepish smile. "Today is the final round."

"You need to pass the qualifier rounds first," the other receptionist, Nina O'Brian, told her.

"There's qualifiers?" The young Windermerean then took a look at the flyer detailing the auditions, trying to find the truth in her words. Her expression went to sorrow quickly as she found out there were qualifier rounds to complete beforehand. She then slumped down to the ground in shame, thinking that her promise to Mikumo has been shattered.

"Well that's too bad," Hayate muttered behind her as she cried, getting a laugh. "Guess you have to go back home now."

"What are you doing here," Mirage called out to them as she approached them with Ruby, Weiss and Chuck, causing them to look at the group of pilots.

"Oh hey, it's Dancer Boy," the Ragnan shouted out, fist bumping Ruby over the new nickname he gave the young man. "Glad you could make here to Ragna. You hear to watch the auditions?"

"Or are you here to complain about me," the Genius pilot uttered out.

"Out of everyone, the whole world doesn't revolve around you," Hayate told her, getting her riled up until Freyja jumped on her.

"You're from the Delta Platoon," she cried out to her, shocking the other pilots. "Please let me take the audition. I'm begging you."

"Is she for real," Weiss asked her partner, who only shrugged.

"Apparently," she answered the Schnee, crossing her arms. "She's determined to get into Walkure, even going towards the ole' begging move to get the spot."

"Wow."

"Um, excuse me," the green haired receptionist, Mizuki Yuri, called out to Freyja. "You have received special permission to officially take part in the auditions."

"Oh thank you…" the younger girl sighed in relief, happy that she got to take part.

"This had Commander Molders' involvement written all over it," was all that Ruby whispered out to Weiss, who nodded in agreement.

"Lucky you," she heard Hayate congratulate the girl before the receptionist continued.

"And excuse me, but are you Hayate Immelmann?"

"I am, why?"

"Commander Molders of the Delta Platoon would like to have a word with you."

"The commander," Mirage questioned who was followed by both Ruby and Hayate.

"Wants to have a word…"

"With me," he finished, getting a nod from the green haired girl before turning around. "Well, I guess that this is it. I better meet up with this guy."

Hayate then left the reception area along with Freyja, following the third bridge operator over to where they're needed to go. Ruby, Weiss and Chuck waved them good luck as they disappeared into the crowd while Mirage left in a rage, upset over what the young man said to her. The white haired girl then sighed over what had happened before looking at the reaper and the Ragnan.

"By the way," she started, getting their attention. "Where are Yang and Blake anyways? I haven't seen them at all when I came over here."

"Oh, uh…" the young redhead scratched her head as she gained her thoughts. "Blake told me that she was going to find Messer and have a talk to him. As for Yang…"

"She finally got the courage and asked me for a job at Ragnyannyan," Chuck finished for her, surprising Weiss with the news. "Don't get me wrong, the wages we get as Valkyrie pilots are nice and all, but she wanted to make a little more moolah. She came up to me asking for a job at my restaurant, and I gave it to her. All I told her is that if she does have the stamina to try and chase a certain mercat that steals tuna, then I see no problem with hiring her into my staff."

"Wait, you hired her," she questioned him, getting a nervous laugh from both him and Ruby. "Don't the both of you know of her little 'episodes?' You know, where her semblance kicks in when she's angry?"

"I already worked it out with my siblings. If that mercat were to show up, they'll lie to her saying that it cut a strand of her hair. Next thing you know, she goes ballistic, and she, Zack and Hack will chase it down if it took a piece of tuna."

* * *

Ragnyannyan, the local restaurant of Barrette City, isn't busy at the moment, but it was perfect as Yang was learning the ropes of being a waitress. While most branches of the Nyannyan chain was strict with dress codes, the business at Ragna was leaner, meaning that the employees could wear whatever felt comfortable to them. To Yang, that would be the yellow Bikini top with her emblem on the right breast, pale blue jean shorts and the Delta Platoon jacket, with the right sleeve cut off to fit her prosthetic.

While she didn't like that fact that she had to be looked over by Chuck's younger brothers, she liked the time she spent with his first youngest sister, Marianne. She also liked the fact that she can get a free meal out of the job, meaning that her lunches from now on will be jellyfish ramen. It was at that moment when she finally got to her lunch break where Marianne waited with two bowls of noodles for them.

"Hey," she greeted the blonde, waving for her to sit down beside her. "Thanks for applying for the job, Yang. Times like this tend to get a lot busy."

"Ehh, no problem at all, Mary," Yang replied back, resorting to shortening the female Ragnan's name. "You know, it's been a long time since I have worked a job as a waitress, but I still have what it takes."

"I'll bet. So, I'm curious as to how Remnant has this rule. Supposedly you are only allowed to name people after colors, am I right?"

"Yeah." She sighed as she took a bite of the ramen, moaning in pleasure over the taste. "Man, I bet you could put "A Simple Wok' out of business with this type of ramen. Anyways, yeah, we always have to be named after a color, and we implement it in our clothing. Like, my name, Yang Xiao Long, and it means—"

"Sun Dragon in Chinese," she interrupted her. "Don't be surprised, Nyannyan is a Chinese restaurant chain. I can tell that a name is Chinese or not, and yours definitely fit you. A bright young girl with the ferocity of a beast."

"Oh, stop it."

"But what about Ruby," Marianne questioned her with raised eyebrows. "You said that you are her older sister, and yet you two look nothing alike."

"About that…" she sighed. "It's because we have different moms. Mine suddenly disappeared after I was born, leaving my dad behind. Ruby's mom, Summer… she was the best mom. Whenever she was home, she would make the best cookies that Ruby and I could enjoy."

"Aww, how sweet. I wish I could meet her."

She then saw a look of sorrow on Yang's face as she spoke. "About that… she suddenly died when we were kids. She had a tip that monsters were about to attack a settlement, and she went to deal with it. We never got anything back but her white cloak, which had her blood on it."

"Oh my god. I didn't know—"

"It's alright." Yang sighed as she looked up to the ceiling. "I have a strong feeling that she's still watching over us. She may be gone in body, but she's still with us… in our hearts."

Marianne nodded after hearing what the brawler told her before going back to her ramen, sighing in pleasure as Yang finished her bowl first. She then saw the blonde get up before going to the front, where she greeted the guests before taking them over to their seats in the restaurant. She only smiled as to how Yang managed to keep a professional façade while she took the orders from the customers, politely rejecting them by giving them a cover story.

Unfortunately, it was not meant to be as one of the customers had ordered the Tuna palette, making the workers realize that the mercat was close. Despite the possiblility, she can't keep the people away from the food, so Marianne made her way into the kitchen to prep the food for the people while Yang walked over to get their drinks. Only the sound of the young siblings arguing and the blonde working her new job kept her going with her prep.

"AHH, IT'S THE THIEVING CAT AGAIN," Zach shouted out, pointing at the Mercat with the x shaped scar. "YANG, IT'S HERE. GET READY IF IT MAKES A MOVE!"

"Already on it," she told them as she took off her jacket and got in a stance. Right as she did, the mercat zoomed right passed the kids and the blonde and entered the kitchen, avoiding the swipes from Marianne's ladle and taking a fully cooked tuna out of the frying pan. It then dodged another swipe from her before getting out, jumping from the siblings attempts and whipping passed Yang before reaching the outside. The catfish hybrid then smirked as it chewed on the cooked tuna before jumping into the water with its prize.

"Oh, no you don't," the younger brother shouted before looking at Yang. "Hey new girl, if you're coming, then get moving. I think that cat took a piece of your hair."

"Yeah, right. There's no way that it did—" she stopped to see a few locks of blonde hair on the floor, going wide eyed over the statement being true. The siblings then followed her gaze down to the floor, getting a sense of fear as her mane began to glow. They then saw her eyes change from lilac to red as she turned and ran towards the water, going after the Mercat that dared to harm her locks.

"DAMN YOU, YOU FREAKING CAT," she shouted out as she jumped into the water, catching a glimpse of her target waiting for her. It didn't take long for Zack and Hack to join her in the water, using their Ragnan nature to swim naturally to catch up to her. She nodded to them, knowing that they'll help in any way to catch the thieving mercat. They then swam towards the hybrid of feline and aquatic origin, only for it to dodge its foes and smack them around with its tail.

It didn't take long for the onlookers from Ragnyannyan watching from afar, seeing the beaten up forms of Yang, Zach and Hack launch up out of the water, with the mercat as the victor. They all winced overseeing the small bruises visible on the bodies of the defeated, while Marianne glared viciously at the cat that stole from them as it returned to the waters, swimming away for the time being. She could only groan over what she will have to say to Chuck when he gets back, looking back to see her employees floating back towards the surface.

* * *

Standing by Makina and Reina while overlooking the results of the auditions for the fifth Walkure member, Ruby began to grow a little nervous over who will take the spot. Remembering what happened back at Al Shahal, she started hoping for Freyja to be the next member. However, due to the many girls also performing for the spot, she started to get the feeling that something will go wrong.

Keeping the thoughts away, she kept watch over the broadcast sent over to them on the screens, from the girls waiting for Kaname and Ernest to their dance coordination. They have made a few observations on how the girls were performing, and while the young reaper was fixated on the screens, the two Walkure members were more focused on the Fold Receptor factor levels. They were quickly joined by Mikumo, who was curious about Freyja specifically.

It then went on to the girls' vocal performances, where they were tasked with singing the lyrics to **恋** **! Halation THE WAR** to the music. While the performances were on par, the members of Walkure were looking for one with a high enough fold receptor to enlist one of the auditioners. It was where Ruby and Mikumo took notice of the Fold Receptor levels for Freyja.

"Checking for Fold Receptor activity," Reina spoke up as she typed away, bringing up all the girls' fold waves for examination.

"Only four girls…" Makina commented on the values presented, shaking her head.

"What about her," Mikumo asked them, pointing at Freyja's display and receptor values.

"She has them too," Reina started, bringing it up for everyone in the room. "But the values are lower than required."

"Maybe she's nervous," Makina voiced her opinion.

"She has to be," Ruby finally spoke up. "Reina, can you bring up her interview with both Kaname and the captain?"

"Already on it," the green haired girl replied as she typed on the keys, bringing up what the young girl has asked for.

" _May we have your name,_ " the voice of Ernest was heard as the video played in front of them, seeing the exchange of Kaname, the Zentradi captain and the Windermerean hopeful.

" _Fr-Freyja Wion,_ " the girl being questioned afterwards, followed by a question from Kaname.

" _And you're a Windermerean, right?_ "

" _R-right._ "

" _I heard that Windermere has been very strict on interstellar travel since the revolution,_ " Ernest spoke up again. " _And that they have been cracking down on terrestrial culture._ "

" _You may not be able to return home when you join Walkure,_ " Kaname added in to what the captain was implying.

" _I…_ " Freyja started, clenching her hand close to her. " _I still want… to join Walkure._ "

"She's determined, I'll give her that," Ruby spoke up, thinking of a plan. "I'd say we help her out."

"What do you mean, Ruru," Makina questioned her, curious as to what she is thinking. "What do you mean by 'we help her out?'"

"I'm saying, what if we could put her in a situation where it would force her to sing." Ruby now has their attention as she continued. "Back at Al Shahal, when she joined the singing during the battle, the fold receptors were at their peak levels, right? So what if we could 'create' a Var outbreak near her with us in disguise. All we need is for her to start singing to get those peak levels."

"Sounds like a plan the young reaper would make," Mikumo praised, crossing her arms. "If we are to have this plan of yours work, we better get a move on. Last I heard, Kaname announced that all the girls that took part in the audition that they have all failed."

"Right." She then looked at Reina and Makina, who took the opportunity to change their appearance for the operation. "Let's get this performance on the road."

* * *

Freyja couldn't believe what had happened. She had came to Ragna in the hopes of becoming the next member of Walkure, only to be told by Kaname herself that everyone failed. Her heart was filled with guilt as she saw the cable car pull up, opening its doors for her to go back to Barrette City. Along with her were a few people that she didn't see at the audition, but swore that they look familiar to her.

As the cable car began to move towards the city, the young Windermerean dug out a device she had when she was a kid, browsing through it to see the songs from the popular artists. From Lynn Minmay and Fire Bomber to Sheryl Nome and Walkure, their songs have inspired her to forge her path as a singer, hoping that she'll be in the tactical sound unit. However, her dreams were completely shattered after hearing Kaname say that she failed.

She then looked out of the window of the cable car to gaze at the Macross Elysion, wondering if the person she came with, Hayate, was still there. She never knew why the commander of the Delta Platoon would want to speak to him, but she had a feeling that it may be a new job for him to take. To her, it sounded a little crazy, but then she thought that it was her fault that he lost his last job back on Al Shahal.

Her thoughts were immediately gone as the car suddenly shook on the cables, stopping in place halfway to the city. Everyone on board then suddenly got up and questioned what was going on before the area locked down, leaving them in a dark red interior. The occupants, including Freyja, began to look around to see what was going on, with some questioning the reason behind the stopped cable car.

" _Attention everyone,_ " the intercoms burst to life. " _A Var Outbreak has boken out in Barrette City._ "

"A Var Outbreak," one of the passengers, a girl slightly taller than Freyja, asked in shock.

"Take a look here," another passenger, a blonde woman surrounded by a middle aged man and a girl wearing a hat, spoke up with the broadcast showing the Var Attack.

" _…More and more people are being affected by the Var,_ " the broadcast reported, showing the chaos happening. " _The citizens are in a panic—_ "

An explosion occurred in the background of the broadcast before it shut off, shocking everyone over what is happening. A Var Syndrome infection is occurring as they stand in the now isolated cable car, unable to see if their friends and relatives were safe. It then went a turn for the worse as the girl near Freyja suddenly started to groan in pain before crouching on the floor.

"Hey," a girl with short orange spoke to her as she approached her. "Are you alright?"

Her only response from the girl in pain was to have her neck cut, blood spilling out of her body in an instant. Her attacker then got up before the muscle mass increased, looking back at the others with veins visible in her skin and eyes blind with rage. Everyone other than Freyja stood back as they realized the Var reached them as well while the Windermerean stood in complete shock.

"What are you doing," one of the passengers asked her from the wall. "Get over here quick."

Before she could even move her own body, the Var infected girl roared out before moving towards Freyja, causing the Windermerean to trip down to the ground. Due to the shock of what happened beforehand, the young Walkure hopeful looked to see the infected slowly walk up to her. The other passengers looked in shock over what the infected will do to her, while secretly smirking towards one another.

" _Why am I here,_ " Freyja thought to herself, breathing heavily as she remembered the attack at Al Shahal. " _Why am I here? To sing… To Sing… To Sing alongside Walkure… with Mikumo._ "

As if she was driven out of willpower, Freyja began to sing out the lyrics to the song she performed before, shocking the passengers and the infected. Her rune began to glow brightly as the first set of lyrics for **恋** **! Halation THE WAR!** were sung to the girl, who stared at her widely before backing up a bit. In the background, the two girls who watched the broadcast were looking over her bio fold waves, smiling as the Fold Receptor factors were at their peak. The infected then fell to her knees unmoving as Freyja finished the song's first chorus, with her breathing back to normal as she smiled.

After she had finished, no one has moved an inch after a few seconds, with only one of the passengers picking up the device Freyja had before she dropped it when she fell. Looking over it, she smiled as she slowly made her way over to the panting Windermerean, who slowly got up to her knees. She then crouched down to the young girl's level before sticking her hand out, offering the device back to her.

"This is yours," she spoke to her, her voice becoming familiar to her. "It's important to you, isn't it?"

"Wait, I know that voice," Freyja whispered to herself as the woman backed up, joined by two other girls.

"Welcome… to the world of Walkure."

The three women were then engulfed in a bright light as Freyja's eyes went wide by the surprise, taking in the forms they took on. Instead of the three random passengers, she was greeted by the sight of Mikumo Guynever, Makina Nakajima and Reina Prowler, who all smiled at her. She then stood up in front of them, still in shock over what has happened.

"Wha…" she started, backing up a bit. "What's going on here?"

"This is your final audition," Makina answered her.

"Your voice resonated in our hearts," Reina followed up with, clutching her chest while smiling as a hologram of Kaname popped up beside her. "It felt nice."

"You pass, Freyja Wion."

"I… I PASSED," the Windermerean asked in confirmation before being engulfed in the same light, seeing her attire change completely. Her shocked expression changed to happiness as she looked over her new outfit, knowing that she has become a member of the tactical sound unit. She then saw that the other passengers around her were all congratulating her before revealing themselves to her as well.

"AHH," she started, pointing at the others. "YOU WERE AT THE RECEPTION!"

"Well," another familiar voice erupted beside her, making her look at the 'Var infected' as she took off a wig to reveal black hair with red tips. "I knew you had it in you. Congrats Freyja."

"RUBY?"

"Surprise." She then 'deflated' in muscle mass as her 'veins' no longer became visible on her face, getting bombed by Freyja hitting her for scaring the young Windermerean. The other members of Walkure watched in amusement over what the young girls were going through, though Mikumo felt a little disappointed over the 'action' in the fake Var Outbreak. However, she is now looking forward to working with Freyja, knowing that she will be necessary in the later operations against the unknown virus.

Perhaps, Freyja will be the key.

* * *

While Freyja was dealing with her own problems, Hayate had been following the bridge hand until the sight of the Valkyries interested him. Curious, he had broken away from the path he was being led on, making his own way over to the fighters. Passing by the crew who gave interested looks at him, he ignored every single member until he has reached the outside, taking in the view of the outside world. Finding the Valkyries parked with one being looked over by the mechanics, he made his way over to them, taking in the colors and emblems etched into them. He then got closer to the one the mechanics were working on, informing them that he was, in a way, a new recruit.

Taking the visual of the Valkyrie identity as the VF-31 Siegfried, he walked around it to have a look at the machine. Adorned in a white, grey and magenta color scheme, the fighter docked lured him more and more closer, taking his attention away. He also saw two other Valkyries docked by it, with one adorned in a light blue and white color scheme with a snowflake while the other was colored with a grey, purple and black scheme with a belladonna emblem on its back. However, his interest was on the Valkyrie right by him, seeing the insignia 'Δ04' by the cockpit. He then looked up in the sky and made a flying motion with his own hand, blocking out the light of the sun.

"That was some impressive flying you did back at Al Shahal," he turned around to the voice, seeing Arad standing by Blake and Messer. "I'm the commander of the Delta Platoon, Arad Molders, and with me are First Lieutenant Messer Ihlefeld and Specialist Blake Belladonna."

"Yeah, well I was taken down in a flash," he told him point blank, putting his hands in his pockets. "It was the first time I ever flew a plane anyways."

"You do seem to be proficient at piloting a Battroid."

"I've used Workroids for work.

"I see."

"You seem to move around a lot as well," Messer commented, looking at his datapad. "List includes Listania, Ebel, Gregor, etc. Different jobs on every planet."

"The jobs also seem to vary as well," Blake added in to Delta 02's statement. "Plumbing, construction, shipment handling… You're basically the jack of all trades, apparently."

"So what," he asked them, annoyed as the second in command looks at Arad.

"Commander, this is a waste of time," he told him.

"Hold on a minute. You're the one who asked for me, so why say I'm just a waste of time?"

"Why you—"

"Well, I was only wondering…maybe I thought you could fly with us, if you felt like it," Arad told him, walking over to the edge of the Aether and sparking a memory in Blake's head. "How did flying feel? Come here." He gained a look from Hayate as the young man joined him, ushering him to continue. "If you fall, you die. You risk your life, but you still take off. That's the fate of those who've tasted the wind. You tasted it too, haven't you? The rest is whether you fly or not, whether you are willing to risk your life."

"That's big words coming from him," Blake whispered to Messer, who only nodded. "I never got a speech like that when I first came here."

She didn't say a word afterwards as Hayate began to slowly walk by the edge of the Aether, mimicking the same thing she did before becoming a Valkyrie pilot. She knew the stunt was crazy back then, but she wanted to know whatever Arad had told her was true. Her thoughts were gone when she saw him sticking his arm out away from the Aether as he kept moving, stopping after a few feet.

She then saw that he turned around to face his back away from them, keeping his focus towards the pilots as his arms spread out. She then went eyed as Hayate, pulling the same thing she once did, jumped off the Aether, getting a gust of wind coming from behind his back. To him, it felt strong enough to tear him apart, but supportive enough to keep him up. The wind kept him in the air for a while until safely putting him back on the surface of the Elysion's arm.

"He rode the wind," Messer whispered behind her, not believing what had happened as Hayate looks up to the sky.

"You got guts, Hayate," Arad told him, smirking.

"That felt nice," he said with a smile on his face before walking over to the Valkyries, looking at the Siegfried with the Delta 04 marking by the cockpit. "I'll be honest here, I hate the army."

"So do I," the commander agreed with him.

"Taking orders too. That's why I'll play by my own rules." He placed his hand on the Valkyrie. "Got it?"

"Feel free to." Arad raised his hand to stop Messer and Blake from speaking up.

"I'll fly the skies with this beauty."

"GET AWAY FROM HER," he turned around with the others to look at an enraged Mirage, whose expression was anything but happy. "Don't you lay a finger… ON MY PLANE!"

* * *

 **A/N: CLIFFHANGER!**

 **I truly apologize for being late with the chapter, but I do have my reasons. However, it still doesn't excuse me for not posting in a while. Anyways, I just wanted you all to know that the very first weekend of August, I went to the anime convention at Montreal, Otakuthon. When I got back, I briefly forgot about what I wanted to do for the chapter, only to rewatch episode 2 and getting back towards it. Also, I took some time to catch up on some shows, even going to getting set three of Aldnoah Zero and watching Macross Frontier: Sayonara no Tsubasa. Regardless, I'm back, and now ready to type more chapters for you to read.**

 **Review replies:**

 **XY kid:** _ **Awesome! Hayate and Freyja has arrived! This chapter was so better than previous ones and I like how the action goes and the addition of Team RWBY makes it better!**_

 **I'm glad you liked it. There will be more to come.**

 **Yuiharime:** _ **So you don't have any idea who to pair(though I like the BlakexMesser pairing,they are pretty much a good pairing) so I suggest you should pair Ruby with Hayate(upon reading this chapter I find them cute) or have Jaune Arc follow and pair him with Hayate...I mean Ruby!  
great chapter by the way hehehehe...**_

 ***wide eyed* Uhh… I think I should let you know that Jaune won't be in most of the time since he's back at Remnant. Plus, I don't want to ruin the established love triangle between Hayate, Mirage and Freyja. *shudders over the Hayate and Jaune pairing***

 **Tendaysromeo:** _**The longer the chapter the better! I give this chapter a 4 out of 5 for now.  
The first episode of Macross Delta was one of my favorites(I like animes with beautiful first episodes) and your version on this fic is different in a very good way and I like it!  
Ruby meeting Hayate and Freyja was entertaining as well the battle scenes you did pretty good!  
One last thing, I have fun imaging Ruby' new attire!**_

 **Well it wasn't typing it out, I assure you. And I'm glad you did. I'll make sure to try and make any other fight as long and good.**

 **Freebyte:** _ **Great chapter! I like how the story is going, especially the battle scene. I so enjoy the part that I had to listen to the actual Walkure song.  
Keep it up and I wanna see Ruby x Jaune moments sometimes.**_

 **Thank you. But, like I had said before, Jaune won't be a part of the story for a while. Needless to say, there won't be any RubyxJaune moments anytime soon. Sorry.**

 **Guest:** _ **Blake vs. the mercat? Make it happen!**_

 **Oh, it will happen. Seats are filling up quickly.**

 **I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. What do you think? Leave a Favorite, follow and/or review.**

 **With that out of the way, I'm BlazefireDrago, signing out.**


	7. Raging Dogfight

**Disclaimer: RWBY is owned by Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth Productions, while Macross is owned by Shoji Kawamori and Studio Satelight.**

* * *

Windermere, a world in the Brisingr Glubular Cluster, was a world filled with snow. Snow leopards prowled the wildlands, birds soaring through the sky, and the people living there worked through their lives. The humanoids living there, while similar to the humans themselves, were different as they were born with runes in their hair. Not only that, but they also live through an average lifespan of around 30 years. Despite that, the Windermereans continued to carry on, with a heavy burden in their hearts.

One massive crater was etched into the ground far away from the settlements, with lighting sparking from the ground up. It wasn't caused by a natural disaster that plagued the planet, but a weapon of mass destruction developed by the very government that now watches over the Globular Cluster. The Windermereans were the ones to be blamed for the act, and so for years, they have bided their time to strike back at the humans; back at the N.U.N.S.

It was near the crater that one man, a blonde male adorned in the native military uniform, stood clenching his fists. Everyone knows him as Keith Aero Windermere, the man who has taken the reins of flight and is now the White Knight of Windermere. Behind him stood the other pilots of his group of Aerial Knights, who all share the same feelings about avenging the honor of their homeworld. Consisting of elder pilot Herman Claus, twin pilots Theo and Xao Jussila, impulsive knight Bogue Con-Vaart and former apple farmer Qasim Eberhard, the pilots were handpicked by Keith himself, knowing that they'll get the job done.

And getting jobs done was exactly why Keith was out and away from the faraway castle. He was given an order from the Windermerean government to go to Al Shahal and 'survey' the Fold waves emitting from Walkure. To do that, he waited until the Var Syndrome was quelled to a point before folding into orbit, directing the Aerial Knights into destroying the N.U.N.S. garrison fleet before engaging the Delta Platoon, Valkyrie pilots who guard the idol group. He then smiled as he had found a match in power in both Grim Reaper and Belladonna's fighters, satisfied that they kept up with him too. He scowled over the fact that he had to retreat back to Windermere, with the order clear in his mind.

" _White Knight, terminate operation,_ " the voice of his superior echoed in his head. " _Return to the Branch._ "

" _Why,_ " another voice belonging to Bogue followed. " _We can beat these guys._ "

" _We already have all of the data we need. That is an order._ "

The experienced pilot clutched his hand further over the revelation as he looked at the crater, eyes narrowed in hatred. He hated the fact that although the orders were right, he wanted to keep fighting against the humans that harmed the planet he was raised on. He also despises the fact that Walkure still lives despite the Aerial Knights attempt to kill them off, allowing the Var to spread further. But most of all, he hated his superior, who insisted that he wait as well as being wary about the prince's health.

" _Lloyd, why did you stop us,"_ his voice echoed, playing the memory of his talk.

" _You completed your objectives,_ " Lloyd's voice followed as the memory showed him flipping a page. " _There was no change in plans._ "

" _We should strike when we have a chance. Remember, we don't have that much time left._ "

Lloyd, in the memory, only sighed as he closed the book. " _I know, but we mustn't forget about lord Heinz' health either._ "

" _Open up the windows for him every now and then._ " His memory showed himself turning his back against the scientist, preparing to walk away. " _There's not even a small hint of wind in here._ "

" _Before I forget, Keith._ " Lloyd then moved up to him as the memory played. " _The woman that has been in cryo sleep for seventeen years is now awake. Remember that when you get in an accident that makes you unfit for combat, 'She' will take the reins as the White Knight._ "

The memory quickly faded as Keith shook his head in anger, clearing his mind for his next assignment. From what he had heard from Lloyd, the woman had been sleeping for years, only to be awakened recently. He doesn't like the fact that if he were to be shot down, 'she' would take over as the White Knight and tarnish the rank. Scoffing, he began to make his way over to the castle, intent on fighting on to restore Windermere's name and pass the blame of the crater back to the N.U.N.S. forces.

* * *

"You are such a meanie, Ruby. How could you plan that and scare me at the same time?"

Hours had passed since the simulated outbreak on the cable car, and Ruby had been assaulted by Freyja's shocked words ever since they touched ground. She knew the young Windermerean would hate her for pulling off a stunt like that, but in order for her to be in Walkure, she had to help her by making a situation to do so. Regardless, everything had worked out better in the end; only to be hearing Freyja crying out about what Ruby did while walking over to the nearby café.

"Just be glad I helped you get into the group," Ruby finally said as Freyja took a break from her little rant. "Besides, this has been your dream, right? I mean, sure you messed up first by going to Al Shahal, but you got here hours ago, and here you are."

"That still doesn't excuse you for what you did," the younger girl cried out. "I thought we were friends, Ruby?"

"We are friends." She then arrived at Kinoko Café with her and sat down on near an open table. "It's just; you seem like the type to easily play around with."

"Uh huh, sure…"

"You're not going to let this go, are you?"

"Meh, at least this is better than what Hayate kept saying to me." She then began to smirk and laugh as she leaned closer to the table. "He kept making fun of how I'd fail the auditions. Let's see that devious smile of his waver when I tell him the news. Gotta show Hayate that I'm still here, alright—"

A jacket suddenly landed on her head, making her taking it off to see Hayate. "Yo"

"Hayate?"

"How was your talk with the Commander," Ruby asked him, curious over why he had the jacket. "Don't tell me that you lost an opportunity."

"I'll say that the meeting was… eventful," he told her, brushing his hair with his hand. "But needless to say, I'm sticking around from now on."

"Wait, you don't mean…"

"Yeah." He then grabs his jacket before hanging it on his shoulder. "I'm officially part of the Delta Platoon now."

"Whoa, Really," both girls asked him, surprised by his news.

"Yeah, and I heard all about the audition." He gained a laugh from Freyja as he continued. "Aren't you the lucky one?"

"Well, she is the lucky one, Hayate," Ruby spoke up, checking her phone. "I don't know about you though. Last I heard, you were put into Mirage's wing after you threw up on her feet. Just go easy on the poor girl, alright?"

"Oh, the harpy? She'll probably bore me to death with lessons." He then looked around. "By the way, who are you guys waiting for?"

"Sorry for the wait, Freyja and Ruby," they all turned around to see Chuck and Kaname walking towards them. "Oh, Dancer Boy too? Glad to see that you're joining us too, man."

"Huh?"

"Shall we get going," Kaname said to them, seeing them getting up.

"Hey, wait up," he said as he got up, following the now larger group of Chaos members. Ruby could only shake her head and laughing at his misfortune as they left the café, knowing that he'll have to get used to the shenanigans brought over by Yang. She also gets to enjoy the fact that as he is now a cadet, she gets to boss him around for a time. However, she'll have to wait to see if he has what it takes to be a pilot.

As the day slowly turned to night, everyone looked to see the lights come to life from the coastal town, the domed city and the Macross Elysion. Ruby smiled as the scenery reminded her of the peaceful nights back on Remnant, from the couples walking out to the night sky. The conversations between the others were also nice to her, giving her something to hear that's not related to the Creatures of Grimm back home.

"Hey Kaname," Chuck started, looking at the Walkure member. "If you need it, I can bring over some fried jellyfish, or maybe some delicious jellyfish dumpling—"

"Sorry Chuck," she quickly interrupted him. "But unfortunately, our dorms are female-only."

"Figures. But it didn't hurt to try."

"So this is where I'm going to be living, huh," Freyja asked out of the blue, excited to stay on Ragna.

"I didn't expect this either," Hayate added in.

"Well, Ragna is a pretty planet," Ruby told them, slowing down to talk to them. "Even my friends and I didn't expect to stay at a place as awesome as this."

"Speaking from experience?"

"You could say that." She smiled over her latest memories. "But more than that, I'm grateful. Coming here brought me back together with my team, and we were able to work everything out, even if Yang and Blake get into an argument about the past."

"But other than that, everything is business as usual," Chuck spoke up before stopping in front of the familiar restaurant. "And now, welcome to my humble about and male quarters of the Delta Platoon: Ragnyannyan."

"Ragnyannyan," Freyja asked out of curiosity, hearing the door open to reveal his siblings.

"Bro," the kids shouted out together as they stood by the door. "Welcome back home."

"Heyya, boss," Yang spoke up from behind them, walking to the railing. "You showed up just in time. The late rush just started, and Marianne has her hands full here."

"I know, I know," Chuck said scratching his head.

"Just make sure not to make any tuna tonight. Blake's already inside the restaurant, and I have a feeling it's going to be a bloodbath between her and the mercat."

"Did the thief show up at all today?"

"Yup." She then growled slightly. "Damn furball even managed to cut off a few strands of my hair."

"Yikes. Glad I wasn't there when it happened."

"AHH," one of the siblings startled them, pointing at Freyja and Hayate. "THE PHONE THIEVES!"

"Thief," Kaname and Ruby questioned the young girl, seeing her looking at a red strap on her wrist in shock.

"Well," she started, pointing at it. "I just…"

"Now hold on a minute," Hayate now spoke up, irritated. "We didn't steal the phone. You just blindly placed it on her wrist without even asking—"

A deafening scream was heard in the restaurant as they all looked back at the source going wide eyed at the sight of the mercat hastily running through with tuna in its mouth. What shocked them most was that Blake was already on its tail, quickly cornering the Ragnan feline and snatching the fish out if it. Both of them stared at each other with much intensity that, to Ruby, trump's Nora's stares at the monsters back home. She had to tell her friend about this later.

The stare between Blake and the Mercat continued until eventually the feline charged at her, swiping its tail at the young raven head. She was able to dodge its attack before grabbing a pair of chopsticks, using them to block the animal's attempts while holding on to the tuna in her hand. The cat had no problems with taking fish for itself until, so with its resolve, it dashed and struck her a few times, only for her weapon to catch it by the tail on the fifth attempt. When it saw her smirk over her victory, it used its predicament and flipped upwards, shocking her as the chopsticks slipped out of her hand, using it as a distraction as it grabbed the tuna and made its way out of the restaurant.

"CHUCK, ZACK, HACK," Marianne's voice echoed out of Ragnyannyan as the mercat got to ground as Blake snapped out of it. "IT'S ALL YOURS. YANG, CONTROL YOUR FRIEND!"

The three Ragnans were already on to the cat as Yang tackled Blake down to the floor of the restaurant patio, the males grinning as they cracked their knuckles as their eyes screamed bloody murder. The mercat felt a little intimidated as the males came closer towards it, but then it steeled itself before jumping up, smacking their faces with its tail. To Hayate's shock, it dashed its way over towards him before jumping up, hitting him hard on the jaw with its tail fin.

"OUCH," the girls winced out as he fell onto the wooden path as the victor left with the spoils: the Tuna.

"Nooooo…" Ruby looked to see Makina cry out, running towards her. "There goes my dinner. What am I going to do now?"

"Damnit," she heard Hayate curse out before leaving him to see the singer. "I didn't even do anything to that merca—ahh—ACHOO!"

"Are you allergic to cats, by any chance," Kanane asked him before looking up, seeing Messer closing in.

"You're in the way," he told the rookie pilot on the bridge, walking passed the group while ignoring Hayate as he muttered something about roommates.

"Messer, great timing. Wanna have dinner with us?"

"I'll pass, Kaname. I already ate."

Ruby could only shake her head at how passive the veteran pilot was being to them as she helped Makina up with Reina, bringing her back into the restaurant. Since she knows that she had lost her meal to the Mercat, the young reaper had opted to by her dinner for her. She didn't mind at all anyways, as long as it didn't cut into her budget at all.

After she had brought the pink haired girl over to her table in Ragnyannyan, Ruby made her way over to Marianne, asking her what Makina had ordered before the mercat took the fish. She then offered the credits in order to buy the replacement meal intended for the singer, seeing the mechanic perk up over what she was doing. She then saw her mouth water as Marianne passed Ruby the food she had ordered before she walked back to the table, giving it to the now happy Walkure member.

"Ruru…" Makina whispered when her eyes went wide, hugging her tightly. "Thank you so much. You're the best."

"ACK," the young girl wheezed as the hug tightened. "Anything… for you… can you… let… me go…"

"Can't. You've done so much for me, and I need to repay you somehow."

"Well…" she went into a thought. "How is our little 'project' coming along for our Valkyries?"

"In terms of your team's VF-31s?" Makina let go of the hug for a sec and crossed her arms. "So far, we're getting there for your custom sniper scythe. Some of the guys got more motivated to working on the thing to make it work for the fighter. As for the others, we had just started on Blake's weapon as well as the blueprints for Weiss', however; we had some trouble with Yang's."

"Why?"

"Hers is basically the same type of weapon as the standard gun pods built in for the Siegfrieds, only hers being a shotgun based. The best I can do for hers is to just add in a more reinforced armor for her Battroid's fists. That way, her Valkyrie can dish out more damage and use the standard weapon for maximum efficiency."

"We also have been working on a new semblance system for your Valkyries as well," Reina joined in, eating her raw jellyfish ramen. "I have been tasked with doing some simulations regarding the use of your semblances inside a Valkyrie. So far, I can't make any guarantees."

"Thanks girls," Ruby nodded to them before getting up, smiling. "I'd better get to my dorm now. I'm starting to get a little tired."

"Nighty night, Ruru."

"Goodnight, Ruby."

When Ruby turned around and walked away, she didn't get to hear what the two began to whisper about.

"Reirei," Makina started first. "When are we going to tell her that her emblem looks the same as the one of the legendary White Rose Valkyrie?"

"Not now," her partner told her, taking another bite of her ramen. "We're going to need more info on whether or not she might be connected."

* * *

Weiss never expected that she would be spending the rest of her night listening to Mirage's rant about the newest member of the Delta Platoon. She had heard from Ruby that he was the pilot that saved Freyja in a hijacked VF-171 during the battle of Al Shahal, but from what she had seen earlier and heard from the Jenius, he sounded more like a slacker. Her opinion has only been reinforced as the pilot continued on her rant in her room

"And then he had the damn nerve to throw up on me," she heard the woman spit out as she slammed her hand on her bed. "That has never happened to me before on my entire life. From my time in the N.U.N.S to now, I have never been more enraged."

"Reminds me of how Jaune puked on Yang on the first day of Beacon," the white haired girl muttered to herself, still listening to Mirage.

"And now Commander Arad wants me of all people to train him? IS HE CRAZY?"

"Mirage, calm down, would you?"

"I will not." She sighed before continuing on. "I swear I am going to work him to death to the point that he'll think about giving up."

"Uhh…"

They were immediately interrupted over the sound of the main door opening and closing rather quickly, making Weiss think that Ruby was back. She only sighed as to what Ruby has been up to lately, hanging out with Makina and making slight adjustments to her own Valkyrie. She then blushed a little since the young reaper has been spending more time with Makina, but then she shook her head as she was overthinking things. She then looked over towards Mirage, who is now smirking over her predicament.

"What is it now, Mirage," she asked the pilot.

"You're jealous right now," the pilot blurted out with the smirk growing. "You're jealous that Ruby is spending more time with Makina than you, am I right?"

"WHA—No, that is simply preposterous." She quickly turned her head away, blushing slightly. "There is no way that me, of all people, would be jealous of Makina."

"Well, both of them do have an interest in upgrading and maintaining Valkyries, Makina has that attitude instantly can help make friends, and… well, she has something that you don't."

"Something that I don—" Weiss then stopped and looked down, pouting over what she meant. "Right… her chest."

"Uh huh." Mirage then sighed before getting up, grabbing a towel. "But enough of that, I need to go to the shower to get rid of the vomit smell."

Weiss only nodded before getting up herself, following the pilot as they exited the room together, only to be stopped by Freyja and Kaname. The Heiress-turned-pilot only sighed as she left the three girls to talk about Hayate again and made her way over to her shared room with Ruby. She stopped over to the door labelled with hers and her partner's name on it before opening it, not surprised to already seeing the young girl sleeping.

She then closed the door enough to allow some light, giving her something to change into her sleepwear. Grabbing her nightgown, she made her way over to her bed on the left side of the room before undressing herself of her uniform. Once the 'combat skirt' was taken off, leaving her in her snow white bra and panties, she then slowly slipped her pajamas on to her slim figure. She then took off the small crown and took out the ponytail, letting her hair flow freely before she got into the mattress' embrace. It took her some time, but she eventually drifted off into sleep, often dreaming about the days back on Remnant, and how her father will react to seeing her as a Valkyrie pilot.

* * *

News of Hayate joining the Delta Platoon has already echoed across the base of the Macross Elysion, but nothing is new to the crew. Not long since he has joined Chaos, he has been skipping out on the flight classes from Mirage, making the veteran pilot groan out in annoyance. He even had skipped out on Ernest's Judo lessons, earning him the quick hatred from the Zentradi captain.

Yang, looking over her prosthetic arm, knows that along with slacking off from training, he has been hanging out at Ragnyannyan more with Chuck's brothers, trying their hardest to capture the thieving mercat. While she is happy that the siblings are having fun with their new friend, she can't help but be annoyed over his laidback attitude. It wouldn't be long for her to know that Mirage would convince the captain to make a 'final exam' over what he had missed, making it a chance for her to personally kick him out of the platoon.

She also can't help but think about what Blake had been up to the last few days. After the duel they had against each other, the faunas has been spending more time with Messer, all the while coming to Ragnyannyan to fight against the mercat over tuna. While the visits at the restaurant are 'normal' to her, the behavior Blake is showing towards the 1st Lieutenant is telling her something else entirely. She even noticed that the two of them weren't anywhere in the Elysion.

"Where are they," she asked herself in a whisper, only to hear the cafeteria doors open and an enraged Mirage entering.

"CADET HAYATE IMMELMANN," she shouted out, making everyone look at her. "SHOW YOURSELF!"

"He isn't here, Second Lieutenant," one of the mechanics yelled out, followed by the man beside him.

"Did you lose him again, Mirage?"

The pilot could only scoff before running off to find the newest member, leaving the rest of the crew to go back into their conversations. Yang shrugged everything that happened before going back into her thoughts, ignoring the laughter erupting from the crew. She has been wondering what Blake has been seeing in Messer, the no nonsense pilot of the platoon and why she has been with him more.

"Poor Mirage," her thoughts died again as she looked at the Elysion's bridge operators talking.

"I heard he's skipped almost everything since day one," Nina told her fellow handlers while eating her lunch.

"He didn't even show up for Captain Ernest's judo classes as well," the purple haired girl told them, giving Yang a mental image of the angered micronized Zentradi.

"Yeah, he's going to pay for that in some way." Mizuki told them as she ate her rice before smirking towards her fellow crew members. "By the way, have you seen where First Lieutenant Ihlefeld and Specialist Belladonna went?"

"The latter said something about getting books from back home. Apparently, they were given the OK from the captain and Commander Arad."

"So that means they took a fold jump over to Remnant in their Valkyries, right?" both girls nodded at Nina, who sat in a thinking pose. "Remnant is on the edge of the Globular Cluster, but very close to Ragna. I'd say that, given the Fold Faults still present, they might be there in a day."

"Blake went to Remnant with Messer without telling us," Yang whispered to herself, wondering about what the girls said. "Why would she go back home? Something about books—Oh crap. She's going to the Beacon ruins."

* * *

Qrow Branwen accomplished a lot in his life, known to many of the Huntsman as the Grimm Reaper. As the experienced scythe wielder, he knows a lot about how the state of Remnant's peace is currently at, shaking his head as Vale now has a possible target on its head. However, in all of his years as a professional Huntsman, nothing fazed him in the slightest… until now.

As he made his way towards what was left of Beacon Academy, he was left baffled as there was absolutely no sign of the Creatures of Grimm. He turned the rumor of the Grimm being whimpering messes away months ago, but he knew that the Grimm were not involved in the attack on Mistral. He has looked on every road that would be invested with the monsters, only to have found them devoid of anything.

He saw that the frozen Wyvern was still parched on the top of the tower, but no monsters came out to attack him. He also heard that some of the teachers took up residence in the school building to hide from the Grimm, but with the school mysteriously cleared, they could have thought up a way to destroy the frozen dragon. And, with Ozpin gone, Qrow was left with no choice but to take the reins himself and devote his time to repairing the school.

He continued to walk through the ruined courtyard, littered with decayed bodies of Atlesian soldiers and husks of machinery, when an unknown sound entered his ears. Looking around, he caught a glimpse of two different fighters flying towards the school. He knows that they weren't Atlesian design as the fighters were much smoother than the kingdom's and the wings were more diagonal. His eyes went wide as the fighters got closer to the academy, seeing them sprout arms and legs as their speed lowered until they got to the ground. Seeing where they were going, he made his way over to the school dormitories, curious as to what they were and to why they look familiar.

Over to the Valkyries, Blake and Messer had arrived at the dorm building where team RWBY formerly resided in, landing on the ground in Gerwalk mode. Moving the arm over to the window, the faunas exited the cockpit along with the 1st Lieutenant and made her way to the room. Opening it, she breathed a sigh of relief as most of her things, along with her team's belongings, have remained untouched. She then caught the duffle bag Messer brought with him before scavenging the room for the belongings.

"Bunk beds," she heard him whisper to himself as he looked around. "They seem to be unstable, don't they?"

"It was either bunk beds, or a cramped room, sir," she answered him, grabbing most of her books. "Since RWBY is an all girls' team, we had to have room for ourselves."

"It must have been a good time, then. But now, all they do is collect dust after months of no use." He then grabbed a book labelled 'Ninjas of Love,' surprised. "I didn't know you read these books, Belladonna."

"What are you talking abo—" she looked over, going wide eyed over her senior officer holding her book before jumping after it, whimpering. "GIVE IT BACK, MESSER! GIVE IT BACK!"

"So you do read this? That's unbecoming of a specialist, Belladonna."

"I know, but I like the books. They're much more interesting than anything else."

"I see." Messer then passively gave it back to her. "Despite the _erotic_ nature, those books tell a much more compelling romance than any other books I've read."

"You don't mind them?"

"No, I don't mind them. They make me relax after a stressful day of working at Chaos." He then saw her eyes wide over what he said, making him, calmly, to explain what he meant. "As in, sitting down to read a novel."

"Oh…" she looked down before going back to scavenging, putting Ruby's not so hidden stash of cookies, Weiss' belongings and Yang's shampoo into the duffle bag. "By the way, what do you think the new pilot is doing?"

"More likely slacking off and disobeying orders."

Blake only sighed in annoyance, knowing that Messer was telling the truth. She never did like Hayate's attitude when she met him back on Ragna, believing that people like him would only hold the platoon back. She also couldn't understand why Arad had recruited the young man into their ranks, thinking that it was his one way to torment Mirage. She could only shake her head as she finished what she came to do, looking back at Messer while not noticing a particular crow flying around.

"Objective complete, Lieutenant," she said as she saluted to the man. "Shall we return home?"

The Grim Reaper nodded to her suggestion before exiting through the window, getting to his own Valkyrie parked beside Blake's as she got into hers. None of them noticed Qrow observing them from afar with wide eyes, not used to seeing their machines. As they got the VF-31s off the ground, the shifted the machines over to Fighter mode and took off to the sky, with their target destination being the home of the Macross Elysion.

"What…" Qrow started with wide eyes. "What the hell were those… and why do they look familiar…" He then remembered an event from the past of his first year at Beacon, getting hazy images of a fighter engaging a giant red mechanical monster. He then shook his head before checking his flask, frowning at the lack of alcohol.

* * *

While she had some doubts about reliving some of humanity's darkest moments, Ruby was having a blast in the Elysion's sim deck. In it, while she had a choice of enhancing her piloting skills for the VF-31 Siegfried, she chose to partake in one of many important battles that she supposedly missed out on. That way, she could pick up a few things for her to use for her own Valkyrie and learn about the wars involving the fighters.

Right now, she is currently locked in a battle set during Space War I, with the setting on humanity's first encounter with the Zentradi. She has nothing against the alien race that now makes up part of the united citizenship, but she knew that she may have to battle more Var infected in the future. Looking over her screen, she could make out a few fighter pods being gunned down by the simulated Roy Fokker, smiling before focusing on her own group of enemies. Implementing a surprise, she allowed five of the simulated foes get behind her before engaging in Gerwalk mode, gunning down three while taking out the rest with missiles.

She then made her way over to the next group when the message 'Simulation Terminated' popped up in front of her eyes, making her see everything shut off. She didn't understand why it suddenly happened, but then looked as the machine opened up, revealing a more than enraged Mirage in front of her. She quickly thought that it had something to do with Hayate, considering how angry the veteran pilot looked.

"Uhh… can I help you, Mirage," she asked her, only to be pulled out of the simulator and dragged away. "HEY, WHAT GIVES?"

"You're going to help me get rid of a particular problem, Third Lieutenant Rose," the older pilot told her, quickening her pace. "I'm getting tired of his antics, his attitude, his laid back expression… I'm tired of Everything that Hayate brought over with him."

"Wait… all of this over Hayate? Mirage, what is it that you're planning?"

"A final exam." She stopped to look at the young Reaper. "Since he has refused to even show up for classes, he insists that I should only let him fly. He has to understand that the classes are important to take, otherwise he would end up making a grave for himself."

"Sounds more like you're concerned for his health that trying to kick him out of the platoon."

"Me? Concerned?" She glared towards the young pilot, taking a deep breath before continuing. "He hasn't even gained the proper grasp on how to fly a VF-1, our training model. His only claim is, and I quote him, 'they get in the way with how I want to fly.' How utterly ridiculous."

"Well I never flew anything until the attack on Mistral months ago, so my thoughts were the same."

"But you somehow managed to fly a VF-171 _Nightmare_ with no problems. Were your parents secretly pilots?"

"Not that I know of…"

"Besides, you flew it like an expert somehow. Unlike Hayate, your more capable of flying."

"When did this turn into me," Ruby asked her, getting Mirage back on track.

"Anyways, I want you to be in the final exam as a judge. Is that understood?"

"Well… uh…" She quickly tensed as Mirage's glared intensified, making her give in quickly. "Y-yes ma'am."

"Good, then I'll see you then."

Mirage then turned away and making her way out of Ruby's sight, causing the young girl to sigh out in frustration. She wondered how she had somehow got wrapped up in the situation brewing, shaking her head that it was Mirage's way of getting back at her for what happened in Al Shahal. All she ever did was tell her the situation the young man was in with Freyja, causing the pilot to embarrass herself in front of them.

"Honestly," she spoke to herself, scratching her head. "How did I get wrapped up in this?"

* * *

As weeks passed, everyone in the Elysion has been placing bets once news of Hayate's supposed 'final exam' neared, and Arad, along with Chuck and Ernest, either stood or sat as the pilot flew off with Mirage in the VF-1EX with Ruby and Messer in their VF-31s. The First Lieutenant was already brought up to speed on the situation presented, and while he found the reasons unprofessional, he agreed to be one of the observers along with Ruby. He glanced over to the young reaper's Valkyrie before setting his sights on the two older generation models, knowing that Hayate may or may not surprise them with a pointless tactic.

" _You have five minutes,_ " Arad's voice echoed in the Valkyries. " _If you can land a hit on Mirage, then you win, Hayate. To give him a chance, he can take any hits from Mirage. Both Messer and Ruby will be the judges. Start off by turning left and right respectively. The exam begins as soon as you pass each other._ "

" _ **Roger,**_ " both Hayate and Mirage Acknowledged the order as their Valkyries split off to pass one another.

" _Distance: 5000,_ " one of the bridge operators counted down as they got closer. " _4000… 3000… 2000… 1000…_ " The pilots then passed one another. " _Start!_ "

Mirage wasted no time in adgusting her Valkyrie's flight pattern as Hayate briefly glanced at the fighter, causing him to fly off to get a fix. It proved to be futile for him as the experienced pilot quickly got behind him, shocking him over how she pulled the maneuver. Due to the shock, he bore witness as she opened fire on his VF-1EX, coating a bit of violet paint on the fighter.

"Hmph, get good," Mirage muttered as she was satisfied, coating his Valkyrie in more paint.

While the two of them were in their mock fight, Freyja was having a battle of her own. As the song **Bokura no Senjou (** **僕らの戦場** **)** played in the background, the young girl sang the lyrics that went with it, only without her rune glowing like it supposed to. The Walkure members present watched closely to her as she continued on, only to sigh as her Fold Receptor readings decreased at a rapid rate. The song briefly ended as Freyja, looking down, felt disappointed that she couldn't get the readings they needed. Kaname and Mikumo, who stood on the backstage of the practice room, looked at each other before pressing a command prompt.

The room around them began to display the battle between Hayate and Mirage's Valkyries, making the Windermerean watch in shock. She saw as his plane was coated in violet paint from the rounds fired by the Jenius pilot he was facing, watching in fear of what would happen afterwards. More gunfire was heard to her as she saw the paint rounds from Mirage's VF-1EX impact the unit the young man was piloting while he desperately tried to shake her off.

"Oh no…" she started, walking closer. "Hayate…"

"If we passed someone who's this unskilled," Mirage started as she kept her fire on Hayate's plane. "They'll only get killed in their first battle. In that case…"

"What the heck," he questioned again as more rounds impacted his Valkyrie before it stalled out, plummeting down to the waters below. He moved the controls of the fighter to get it back steady, only for the support AI to kick in and restored its flight path. He groaned in annoyance over the point that he didn't control it himself as Mirage came up behind him.

"Good reaction," She told him before continuing her barrage. "But not good enough."

"Tsk, my plane moved on its own," He muttered before getting an idea. "That's it…"

Glancing at the screen in front of him, he immediately shut off the support AI installed in the fighter, cutting off Mirage's connection to his plane while giving him free control. He began to struggle as the stability of the VF-1 was immediately lost as well, turning the control stick to his right in an effort to fix his flying. Mirage was shocked that he would suddenly drop his stability during the battle.

"Just watch me, Mirage," He said as he glimpse back before trying to regain control of his Valkyrie again, causing it to fly up briefly before plummeting down to the waters below. Ruby, while watching the events unfolding, could only groan at how complicated he is making flying feel while she passed no problem with her team months ago. Right now, she had a job to observe the battle between them, and she already pictured a worse outcome for the young man.

"Cadet Hayate Immelmann," Mirage called out to him, flying closer to his plummeting VF-1. "Eject immediately. That's an order—"

"Shut up," he interrupted her, groaning more while trying to regain control. "I won't be able to fly if I lose now."

"I guess I was wrong," Arad commented while back on the Elysion, taking a bite out of his snack. "Mirage, eject him."

"Roger." She then pressed on her screen, only to be shocked further. "What? Commander, he shut off the remote control along with the support AI."

"What, is he out of his mind?"

"Firefighters! Ambulances," Ernest spoke up after knowing the situation. "We have a situation."

As the situation started to get worse for Hayate, Freyja grew ever more worried over what would happen to him. Watching the battle in the room as if she was a part of it made her afraid of the outcome of the exam, making her pray mentally that a miracle would happen for him. Having enough, she turned her back on the presentation of the current battle.

"And where do you think you're going," Mikumo questioned her, keeping her eyes on the girl at all times. "Your lesson is not over yet."

"But Hayate—" she said to the older woman, only to be interrupted.

"Hayate is fighting on his own battlefield." She then jumped off the barely visible railing before landing, walking towards the Windermerean. "Freyja Wion!"

"Y-yes?"

"Where is your battlefield?"

"My battlefield…" the young girl muttered to herself as she looked down, only to hear Hayate's voice from the display and giving her an idea. "I see… Hayate's fighting too."

With a renewed sense, she breathed in as her rune began to blow brightly in her hair. On instinct, she began to sing **僕らの戦場** clearly, not worrying about the fold receptor readings anymore. In her mind, she wanted Hayate to hear her sing, hoping that it may allow him get out of the situation and turn it to his favor. Reina and Makina began to smile as her readings began to increase while Mikumo started the song, syncing it to her singing.

As Freyja had hope for, the sound of her singing reached out to Hayate, who had his eyes closed as his Valkyrie continued to plummet down to the surface. He wasn't the one who heard her, as the song somehow was heard to Ruby's ears, making her go wide eyed. She kept watch as the young man, knowing that Freyja's song was for him, took off as his helmet and stead fully grasped the controls and waited for right time to give his foe a surprise.

"HAYATE," Mirage shouted as the VF-1EX he was piloting gets closer to a nearby rock formation, fearing for his life. To her shock, he managed to get the Valkyrie under control and avoided crashing, switching over to Gerwalk mode as it touched the waters. It then went back to Fighter mode and flew back up to the skies, getting closer to her. She then breathed a sigh of relief that he was safe for the moment, not knowing that she had made a mistake.

"The exam is not yet over, Mirage," he called out to her as he flew behind her, shocking her again. "Here I go."

He then opened fire upon her VF-1EX as he got close enough, seeing none of his shots hit her plane as she dodged the paint rounds. She quickly maneuvered out until the tables have turned for her favor, aiming her sights onto his Valkyrie. However, she didn't know realize it was too late for her as the blue fighter jolted up briefly before shifting into Gerwalk mode, flying backwards before ascending into the sunlight. The rays being too bright for her, she squinted her eyes to get a lock on him, only to go wide eyed as he descended down in Battroid mode and opened fire, coating her Valkyrie in blue paint.

Hayate cheered on as his Valkyrie flew away from Mirage's in Battroid mode, shocking everyone watching with his display. Arad had congratulated him back on the Elysion while Chuck spoke of him doing the Mercat turn during the last stretch of the exam. Ernest smiled as the timer finally reached zero after the victory the young man has display as the bridge operators cried out in happiness. As for Ruby and Messer, the former was in complete shock over his sudden change in flight while the latter shook his head in disgust.

Ruby didn't have enough time to react enough as bullet rounds suddenly flew passed her VF-31, seeing Hayate charging her in his training unit. She immediately flew out to shake him off as he went to catch up with her, aiming his sights on her back and pressing the trigger. More paint rounds flew passed by Ruby's fighter as she looked back, slightly glaring before turning her fighter around to open fire upon him. However, since she can also hear Freyja's singing, she was shocked to see him dodge the paint rounds she let loose.

"Why are you gunning for me now," she asked as she had to barrel roll to avoid his bullets.

"Don't take this, Ruby," he spoke up as her got closer again. "But I don't like the idea of taking orders from you."

"Then don't take orders from me at all."

Despite saying that, she kept avoiding the rounds intended for her Valkyrie, switching into Gerwalk mode to fire her own bullets and launching missiles at the young pilot. Hayate could only smirk as his fighter sped through and avoided her shots while barely getting hit by the blasts of the rockets, coming out of the paint smoke in front of her. She didn't have time to switch to Battroid mode as he opened upon her Valkyrie at close range, coating her plane in paint.

She couldn't believe that he had gotten the better of her as his VF-1EX switched between Fighter and Battroid mode, making it look like he was dancing like back on Al Shahal. Freyja, happy that he had won, had danced along as she got to the end of the song smiling. She knew that, deep down, he had won after hearing her sing for him somehow.

"He's dancing," Reina commented on as she recorded the readings for later.

"How pretty," Makina added, followed by Kaname.

"Her song did that?"

"If so, should we call that the Immelmann Dance," Mikumo finished, making a wavelike movement with her hands.

Hayate eventually finished his 'dance routine' after besting Mirage in the exam and coating Ruby's VF-31 in blue paint, smiling over his accomplishments. Switching over to Fighter mode once more, he set the course back to the Elysion over at Barrette City to meet with Arad and the captain. His smooth flight was gone the moment he felt paint rounds collide on his Valkyrie, making him look back as Messer was behind him.

"How long are you going to keep prancing around," He asked the 'new' member as he got closer.

"The hell was that for," Hayate shouted out in irritation. "That was totally unfair."

"Such is the battlefield. Gallant one on one battles are a fallacy, and so was your choice against Third Lieutenant Rose's Valkyrie." He then proceeded to fire again on the training unit, coating it further with red paint.

* * *

A few hours after the final exam between Hayate and Mirage, all the young reaper could do was sit on the Aether as the crew congratulated the young man. She couldn't understand what she ever did to him that resulted in him attacking her Siegfried, or why he would even follow her orders. She was lucky that she's the team leader to Weiss, Blake and Yang, but the four of them only make up the Delta Platoon's Second Division. Last she checked, Hayate was given the position of Delta 05 (Δ05), placing him in Arad's command.

She mentally shut out the noise coming from the group as the crew laughed at Freyja's statement of him being lucky, looking up at the sky. She couldn't help but wonder about how her father was doing, what Qrow was doing, and what ever happened to Ozpin that caused his disappearance. She then wondered about the VF-171 Valkyries that were underground, thinking about why N.U.N.S. tech was underground at Mistral and, if possible, if there were more hidden on Remnant. She'll never know the answers to the questions, with the big one being how she was able to pilot a Valkyrie without screwing up without proper training.

"Yo, Ruby," Her thoughts were taken out when she saw Hayate standing behind her with his hand reached out to her. "You alright?"

"Huh," she whispered out, looking at the hand. "What brought this on?"

"I meant what I said. I don't like taking orders." He then lowered his hand and sat down beside her. "So, what are you thinking about?"

"Me?" She got a nod as his reply, looking back at the sky. "Just wondering about home."

"Oh? Like what?"

"A couple of things." She sighed before continuing. "I've been wondering if dad's been OK so far. He didn't like that I went on a journey before, and it took Arad time to convince him that I could be a really good pilot. I'm also wondering about what Uncle Qrow is up to, but knowing him, he's probably drunk right now."

"But something else is bothering you, right?"

"Yeah. I've been wondering about myself. Why can I fly a Valkyrie so easily, if they're supposed to be difficult at first? And, if not, how am I able to understand them?"

Hayate only hummed in thought before crossing his arms. "Well, if you can't find the answers, then maybe the answers will come to you. It just takes time."

"But—"

"Relax, Ruby." He then gave her a grin. "What matters is that you can fly, so don't about it for now." He then got up before helping her get on her feet. "So cheer up, OK? Worry about them for another time."

He then waved to her before leaving her behind, giving her some time to think about what he said. In her heart, she knows that Hayate was right in a way, and that she'll get the answers soon. Smiling to herself, she made her way off the Aether and into the Elysion, having her head held high. For now, she'll enjoy her time here and continue her new found duties.

* * *

At the edge of the Brisingr Globular cluster, away from any of the known planets, was a fold jump gateway opening up. Appearing out of it was a fighter bearing a different design from the VF-31 Siegfrieds or the N.U.N.S. issued VF-171 Nightmares. Bearing a jet black colour scheme with a white stripe around the cockpit and on the wings, it flew out of the gateway as it closed off behind it. Some surprising details on it is, on the side by the cockpit labelled the fighter as the VF-25 _Messiah_ while an emblem depicting a White Rose was embedded onto it. No one knows the history behind the Valkyrie, other than that it appeared during humanity's time of crisis eight years ago.

The Valkyrie, the White Rose, has appeared in the cluster.

* * *

 **A/N: Again, I am sorry about the delay on the chapter. Well, after the last chapter, I immediately got to work on this one. However, due to the fact that Dead Rising 4 is on the way and me getting the bundle for the Xbox One, I have been busy. However, I still have the energy needed to work on the chapters, and I thought about one thing I like to inform you of.**

 **In regards to the fic in general, I want to let you know that it will have 4 arcs in the story. The first four chapters, where team RWBY got integrated into the Delta Platoon, will be the prologue arc, followed by the order of Macross Delta 1 (episodes 1-14), the Truth of Remnant, and finally Macross Delta 2 (15-26). This way, I could lengthen the story a bit more.**

 **As for the hints that I may have dropped for you… well, I don't want to reveal everything until much later. All I can say is that all will be revealed in due time.**

 **Reviews I can't message back:**

 **XY Kid:** _ **It's worth the wait! I was wondering when will a new chapter would appear and here it is! This chapter was good just like the last one. I was wondering what the others are up to in Remnant.**_

 **Well, now we know what Qrow was up to. Seriously, the Grimm occupied the ruins of Beacon Academy. Why did they suddenly disappear? Did they disappear at the same time the Var Syndrome attacked? And what is it that Qrow was remembering**

 **Wee-0wee-0:** _ **This is a different take on RWBY. Most of the RWBY fanfics/crossovers usually had other characters coming to Remnant. Sure the first two chapters had that, but the rest has it changed and I like that. This fic is fresh for me and I really enjoy reading.**_

 **I'm glad that you do. Well, I have to say that there will be a time that they'll be on Remnant. Just… not now.**

 **Yuiharime:** _ **Good chapter and is that Blake & Messer together? OMG! You are pairing them, I'm so glad! (eat that Adam Taurus and Sun, not that I hate Sun, he's awesome!).  
Still if you don't have any ideas about pairing I suggest you pair Chuck & Yang(the fact she gets along well with Chuck's siblings spells that something will happen with those two).  
And since Jaune isn't coming and Hayate is stuck (obviously) between Mirage & Freya, you should focus Ruby on her relationship with Makina, not romantically, but a deeper friendship which make Weiss a bit jealous.  
Wow a typed a lot anyway with that said I look forward for the next chapter.**_

 **Hmm, tempting… Well, I'll think about that a bit, but I do agree about the Ruby and Makina pairing. Weiss would be jealous of her over the friendship among… other things.**

 **Guest:** _ **No RWBY fanfics would be complete without Yang getting angry over her hair! The chase with the mercat was hilarious.**_

 **That's right, Yang is very protective over her hair. So if the mercat had the balls to take a few strands off as he took the tuna… Well, it's in her most hated list now.**

 **Tendaysromeo:** _ **I give this chapter a 3 out of 5. Last chapter was better but that doesn't mean this chapter was bad. It's good, but it's just that the battle scene you wrote from the last was so good that it made a lasting impression this chapter just lacks that. (the scene with Yang was good, but the battle scenes were more fun)  
Still, glad with a new chapter.**_

 **I just realized that I was being ranked on the chapters. I understand that it left an impression on you. But I just wanted to get most of the episodes events in while still focusing on the RWBY characters. Some moments do have to be cut out, but I'm still satisfied with what I had typed up for.**

 **I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. What do you think? Leave a Favorite, follow and/or review.**

 **With that out of the way, I'm BlazefireDrago, signing out.**


	8. A Shocking Debut

**Disclaimer: RWBY is owned by Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth Productions while Macross is owned by Shoji Kawamori and Studio Satelight.**

* * *

Night has once again fallen on the surface of Ragna, coating the surface with the dark, cool and relaxing feeling of relaxation. Barrette City, in preparation of the time, has lit up the night with neon lights and nightly activities. Couples litter the Ragnan city in dates, jellyfish glowing faintly in the waters, and one particular restaurant becoming livelier than before.

Right at the door of Ragnyannyan stood a sign saying 'closed for a private party' in English with 'Freyja's (and Hayate's) Super Welcome Party' covered the center in Japanese. Inside the building, most of the crew of the Elysion crowd the inside either sitting down at the tables or standing by the central pillar of the building. Even members of both Walkure and the Delta Platoon were both invited for the special event hosted by the family restaurant, each holding an alcoholic beverage of their choice.

Ruby, being a younger member of the crew, was denied access to alcohol, but it never bothered her anyways. She was happy with a glass of milk and a few baked cookies from Yang as she celebrated the new members' entry. In her mind, she knew that Freyja would be crucial to Walkure, and that despite the talent of 'dancing,' Hayate could fight if he put his mind into it. She had her last cookie finished up before drinking the rest of her milk, looking up to see Ernest himself standing on stage.

"Testing, one two…" he counted down before poking the mic. "This is on, right?"

"Oh, no," she heard one guy mutter out. "He's going to give off his long boring speech."

"Long… boring speech," she asked him, only to hear the micronized Zentradi speak again.

"Every one of the Macross Elysion's crew," he started up, looking at the now bored crowd. "I'd like to thank you all for coming here tonight as we celebrate both Freyja Wion and Hayate Immelmann's entry to our little family." He then took a breath before continuing. "Now, looking back at when I was asked to take part in the genesis of Walkure, I—"

He was immediately pushed away by both Makina and Nina as the former took the mic. "Thank you. And now, a hip hip hooray for FreFre and HayaHaya's big debuts. KANPAI!"

"WELCOME TO CHAOS!"

Everyone has cheered for the two new members as they raised their glasses, walking over towards Freyja and Hayate by the sidelines. Ruby could only smirk as the whole party gathered around the two souls as she sat by the bar, glimpsing at Mirage as she stood there unamused. She then giggled to herself before looking around to look for her team, seeing Blake standing by Messer, Yang going over the food and Weiss looking over her datapad. Looking at the front, she could only sigh as Freyja comically began crying in front of everyone before going to her own seat.

"I-I, Freyja Wion, will decidate the rest of my life to Walkure," the younger girl spoke out to the crowd, getting a few laughs from the people.

"She's overdoing it," Hayate commented before feeling weight on his shoulder, looking at Chuck grinning. "Wha—"

"And now, a few words from our rookie," the Ragnan chef shouted out, shocking the young man.

"Wait, right now?"

"Now don't be shy now. Just say hi, at least."

"Yeah," another voice came before more weight came on Hayate's right shoulder, making him looking at Yang. "It can be a simple greeting, or you can tell us about yourself. What are your hobbies, or…" She smirked seductively before leaning further down. "What. Are Your. Preferences?"

She then pushed her 'assets' on his arm, only to be slightly pushed away by him. "Lay off of me, you damned blonde. I'm not intere—"

"Did you call me a 'damned blonde,'" she spoke with the grin growing as she pulled his head into a headlock, placing her prosthetic hand on his hair in a fist. "You really should be careful with what you say."

The crew then laughed as she 'playfully' gave him a noogie on his head, causing him to cry out in pain. The blonde's teammates could only sigh over her antics as Hayate cried out for her to stop, only for them to fall on deaf ears. She then eventually let go of him before helping out with the restaurant, followed by her fellow pilot and boss of the restaurant.

The rest of the evening went by fairly well as the party continued. At one table, Beth had surprised the group around her as she had finished her tenth glass of beer, cheeks already showing signs of her being drunk. Ernest sat at another table with another group around him as he finished off two challengers in an arm wrestling match. He then flexed his muscles and called out for another challenge, only to face Yang and lose to her strength. The men all cheered for her as the Zentradi captain stayed there, shocked to believe that he lost in his favorite sport.

She then left to go help out with the orders as Chuck and Zack walked over with one of the restaurant's special, revealing it to be fried fermented spiders. The people around it got nervous before one of them took a bite out of it, going wide eyed before taking the dish for himself. The others then got into a fight as the two Ragnans walked away, smirking while passing Messer and Blake who shook their heads.

"Hey, Messer," they looked to see Marianne, who had her arms behind her back while blushing. "Um, is it true that Waccine shows prevent any further appearance of the Var in the area?"

"Uh, well," Blake began to start, only to have the spotlight stolen by Zack.

"You betcha," he spoke up, grinning like a madman. "The songs of Walkure can not only suppress, but also prevent the Var!"

"Wow, Impressive," she congratulated him.

"You're very knowledgeable, Zack," Messer complimented with a smile, ignoring Marianne's angered expression.

"Time and place, boy."

"Better get used to it, I guess," she heard Ruby as the young girl walked passed them, heading over towards the table with Freyja and Hayate. She wasn't the only one to be there, as Makina and Reina were sitting in front of them with Weiss and Mirage on their sides. Sighing, she went around the table and sat beside the young Windermerean, noticing that they were waiting for her.

"About time you got here, Ruby," Wiess spoke up, holding a martini glass. "They were about to explain our next job."

"Sorry," she sheepishly apologized.

"It's alright, Ruru," Makina spoke up. "Like WeiWei said, we're going over our latest assignment. We are going to Randor to perform a Waccine Show for the people."

"A Waccine Show," Both Ruby and Freyja asked in confusion.

"Yes, and it has been requested by the government there. They say that the risk of a Var breakout has been on the rise lately."

"Does it have to be live," Hayate asked them, curious about the assignment. "Why not use pre-recorded songs?"

"I'm curious about that as well," Weiss added in, setting her glass down. "If you use pre-recordings, you don't have to go out and risk your lives."

"If only that were simple." The pink haired girl sighed before continuing. "You see, when we sing, we generate biological fold waves which calm down the Var. If we record or digitize them, the effects of the fold waves are practically erased."

"That's why you're always in the scene of the Var outbreaks," the Heiress turned pilot concluded. "Now I know why you were at Mistral back home, and why you risked your lives on Al Shahal."

"Live is the best," Reina muttered to herself as she ate another raw jellyfish, grossing out the white themed girl.

"Hey hey," they all look to see Elizabeth at the table. "Are you going to sing as well, Hayate?"

"Nope." He turned to get food off her cheek before continuing. "We'll be doing an air show."

"Ahh, that's right." Weiss then glared at Ruby, who flinched at her tone. "Now, Ruby, shouldn't you be figuring out what we're going to do for the performance?"

"Uhh," she sheepishly thought as her glare intensified. "I haven't really thought about it."

"Do your best, Ruru," Makina cheered for her, giving her a smile.

"Don't forget," Mirage finally spoke up, looking at Hayate. "There is a chance that those unknowns will appear again. Don't let your guard down and follow my orders."

He could only stare at her for a bit before smiling, digging in to his food. "Alright, alright."

"Hey," Freyja shouted out. "Are you making fun of me?"

"Never."

Ruby and Makina only giggled at the young girl's expression, not noticing Yang coming around and grabbing their empty plates off of the table. The blonde then made her way over towards the counter, passing by Blake and Messer as they're having a chat about books. She could only faintly blush as her partner is spending more time with the Grim Reaper than with her, but shook her head as it was her choice. As she got to the counter, she couldn't help but overhear Arad and Kaname's conversation as she put the plates in the sink.

"So," the commander started off. "What did Lady M have to say?"

"We don't have time to wait for Freyja's abilities to stabilize," she quoted the mysterious owner to him.

"We never have enough time. Did you at least tell her about Fold Receptors?"

"Not yet. Does Hayate know?"

"I haven't said anything." He then saw Messer making his way out of the building. "Hey, are you going back?"

"It doesn't hurt to kick back once in a while," Kaname told the pilot.

"Sorry, but I'll be on standby back at base," he told them before leaving.

"I see."

"Thanks for coming, at least."

Yang, after hearing that Messer had left the building, frantically decided to search for Blake, only to see that she has left as well. She then looked down and clenched her fist in irritation before calming down and heading back. She'll never understand why Blake is hanging around him more and more lately, but for now, she has to put on a smile.

Eventually, the party began to die down as everyone said their farewells to each other. With Chuck's family working on closing down the restaurant, Ruby had moved over to the patio along with Hayate, Freyja, Makina and Reina. She liked to have conversations with them, especially when the former two are involved.

"Ugh…" Freyja muttered as she leaned on the table, looking sick to her stomach. "I don't feel so good. I think I ate too much."

"Are you for real," she commented on her situation, getting a few pats by the two Walkure singers.

"Yeah. It feels like my stomach is about to asplode…"

A glass of apple juice appeared right in front of her, making her look at Hayate as her spoke up. "Here you go. Hope that would help."

"Oh… Thank you." She then took the juice and had a sip of it, already feeling revitalized by its taste. "Ap'ju."

"Come on, say it right."

"Have you gotten used to Ragna yet," Makina asked her.

"Yup." She then began going through memory lane. "It's actually a lot like my hometown."

"Your hometown," Ruby asked, followed by Makina.

"On Windermere?"

The Windermerean continued on. "The wind was so nice there, the land and sky were both completely white, covered in snow, and there was a bunch of orchards."

"Well, the wind is nice here," the young reaper commented, before looking around. "But I don't think this planet had any snow, and I didn't see any orchards."

"Uh…" Makina tried to think of what she was going to say, only for Reina to beat her to it.

"Exactly how is it similar to here?"

"Huh?" Freyja then placed her hand on her chin to think, only to come up with nothing. "Good question."

Ruby then looked up at the sky, watching as the stars flicker with life in the sky. Feeling the wind brought over some good memories of her time back on Remnant, from when she got to be in Beacon, from when she first completed Crescent Rose, to when she was a little girl playing with her mom. To Ruby, the statement about the wind being nice makes her believe that Ragna is a home away from home.

"Maybe…" she whispered to herself. "Maybe it reminds us of home, Freyja."

"Home, huh," Hayate muttered as he heard her, now deep in thought.

* * *

" _Aether, separation complete. Gravity controls nominal._ "

" _Releasing fold energy from condensers._ "

" _Aether, switching over to interstellar cruise mode._ "

" _Onboard gravity control to mode C. Connecting heat pile clusters. All nominal._ "

" _Initiating fold jump. We are scheduled to de-fold at Randor's orbit in thirty minutes._ "

The Aether, the Macross Elysion's left arm, has already made its way towards the colony of Randor, carrying the Delta Platoon and Walkure for their next assignment. Most of the pilots, excluding Arad and Messer, were overlooking their Valkyries to see if they were ready, with Ruby going over her fighter's console. She had worked out a part of the air show for her team to use, but it would involve being outside of the cockpits and using their semblances. Of course, she'll believe the crowd would see it as another one of Walkure's holographic visuals.

"Third Lieutenant Rose," she heard her name called out, causing her to look out to see the mechanic Takasugi. "I got an update from Nakajima. She wants you to know that she got a system working for you."

"A system," she asked the man, catching the datapad he had on him. "What could this be about?"

"I don't know. She only told me that it was based around this whole… what was it… resemblance… thing? All I know was that she worked on it with Reina."

"The semblance system?"

"That's it." He then walked over to the console. "You know it more than I do, ma'am."

"Don't worry about it."

She then pressed the play button on the datapad, displaying Makina and Reina. " _Heyyo, Ruru,_ " it started. " _Remember how we talked about how we were working on a new system for you and your team? Well, it took a lot of hard work, but we managed to make the system._ "

" _Going from the footage of your combat back on your planet, the biggest question was to how to implement them on the Siegfrieds,_ " Reina continued for her. " _We began by altering the Cygnus drones installed to help assist your fighters in stabilizing the effectiveness of the system._ "

" _If you had noticed a few added additions on the Valkyrie's thrusters, then you'll be glad to know that the drones from your fighter have been refitted for your Semblance system. We can only advise that you use it during Waccine shows or in heavy situations._ "

True to Makina's words, Ruby got out of her VF-31 and walked over to the thrusters, surprised to see the Cygnus Drones built into them. She'd have to go thank the singer/mechanic when she has the chance to see her again, and made her way towards her team's Valkyries. Like hers, she could see the drones mixed into their fighters to enable the Semblance system, meaning that they can use their semblances through their Valkyries.

"Ruby," she turned around to see Yang walking towards her, helmet in her arm. "Did you see what happened to our fighters?"

"You mean the built in Cygnus drones," she questioned the blonde, getting a nod in return. "Well, I don't wanna spoil, but Makina and Reina worked on the Semblance system for our fighters. We can now use our semblances without even getting out of the cockpit."

"Alright. Now I—"

The young girl then interrupted her. "However, we are to only use them in dire situations or during Waccine shows."

"Dammit," was all Yang could mutter under her breath, noticing Hayate walking over wearing his flight suit. "Sis, isn't Hayate's unit still being worked on?"

"Nope." Ruby played with her hair a little bit. "His fighter was finished at the same time as our upgrades. I bet he's looking forward to it."

"Aww… I wanted to taunt him about not having a fighter."

"Tough luck," was all the young sibling could say before making her way over towards Hayate, with the blonde following behind her. They knew that the young man was looking forward to having his own Valkyrie to fly in, knowing that he might end up not following Mirage's orders during the show. They both sighed over the thought as he saw them walking towards him.

"Huh, are you two alright," he asked the two sisters, who waved him off dismissively.

"No, everything's fine," they said in sync, making him uncomfortable until he stopped by a different Siegfried unit. They saw that the unit, like any other unit in the Delta Platoon, that the wings were designed like the previous YF-29 _Durandal,_ adopting the forward-swept wing concept. The colour scheme of the fighter, fitting for Hayate, was that of white, blue and gray, with the callsign Δ05 beside the Valkyrie's cockpit.

"So this is it, huh," Hayate commented on the fighter presented to him. "She's a beauty."

"The VF-31 Siegfried," the mechanic by them, Guy Gilgood, spoke up. "It's a bleeding edge fighter stock equipped with an inertial control system. Wasted on you, if you ask me." He then passed his datapad to Hayate. "Also, we have a little onboarding gift for you."

The screen then popped to life, displaying Makina in the datapad as she gave the news. " _Hey-o! Hayahaya, we know how much you hate the support AI, so we tuned Siegy for you._ " She motioned to the Valkyrie on screen as the maintenance crew cheered, allowing Reina to continue for her while holding a helmet.

" _That way, you don't have to wear a helmet._ "

" _But remember, when things get too dicey, remember to deploy the X-Gear system, alright?_ "

Hayate can only smile as the message left for him ended, looking at the Valkyrie the Walkure singer/mechanic tuned for him. Walking further to the VF-31 he'll be using, he can't help but think about how he'll maneuver the fighter into his dance routine, to which Chaos has dubbed the 'Immelmann Dance.' He then looked back at the siblings, who can only grin over what he'll do to annoy Mirage before looking back at the machine.

"Thanks a lot," he told Guy, giving the datapad back to him.

"Show us what you can do," the older male replied back.

"Be sure to kick some ass," Yang commented, getting elbowed by her little sister in the gut. They then heard the sound of a song playing near them, looking at Freyja walking towards them while listening to her media player. Judging from the way she was humming, they believe that she's getting the rhythm down for the show on Randor.

"Hey, Freyja," Hayate called out, only for her to ignore him and kept humming. "Oi!"

"She's ignoring you, dude," Yang spoke up to him, seeing Ruby walk up to the Windermerean and grasping her shoulders.

"Freyja, hello," Ruby said louder, causing the younger of the two to look up before backing up.

"Oh," she said, startled before greeting the pilots. "Hayate, Ruby, Yang!"

"Finally, she responds."

"About time," the blue haired youth spoke up before looking at the new singer. "What's wrong? Did you get stage fright for your first show?"

"As if," the reaper interjected, elbowing him in the ribs as Freyja looked at them, letting Yang look at her media player.

"Oh yeah, Freyja," the blonde started, pointing at her device while catching the other's attention. "I'm just curious, but is that thing some sort of… MP3 player?"

"Right," he added in, crossing his arms while smiling. "You had that with you at all times back on Al Shahal. Must be your lucky charm or something."

She then looked down on it, smiling over her memories. "Kinda… I got it from an Earthling who visited Windermere when I was little. It's because of this I was able to learn about music from the outside." She closed her eyes as she pictured artists from the past. "Lynn Minmay, Fire Bomber, Sheryl Nome and Ranka Lee, and finally, Walkure. I thought they were so cool, so I wanted to be just like them. But…" Her rune then dims a little, making Hayate walk up to her.

"That's not like you." He saw her look up at him. "If you're willing to risk your life, you can fly. Did you forget?"

His smile had reassured her thoughts, making her smile in return. "You're right. If I try, I can fly." She then turned around, more energized than before. "Life's but 30 years. If I got time to worry, I've got time to fly." She then ran off before waving back at them. "Thank you HayaHaya."

"Don't call me that," he shouted out, getting laughed at from Ruby and Yang. "Oh god, not you two."

"Sorry, Hayate," Ruby said during her laughter. "But at this point, the nickname is stuck with you now."

"You better get used to it, pal," Yang added in, clutching her stomach as she continued her laugh track.

"You two are the most irresponsible pilots I have ever known," they tensed as they heard Mirage behind them, who showed up when Hayate was speaking to Freyja. "It makes me wonder why you were made a Third Lieutenant and a Sergeant, Ruby and Yang?"

"Mirage?"

"However, something Freyja said got me thinking about her." She grabbed their attention as her stance relaxed. "She said that 'life's but thirty years.' Windermereans die young in exchange for their extreme physical abilities." That got Yang's eyes to go wide at the statement. "Because of that, their average life span is about thirty years."

"Sounds so unreal when I look at her," the mechanic added his own say on the matter before they all separated. Ruby can already tell something was bothering Yang, believing that what Mirage said about the Windermerean's life span to be the cause. She hated that when something bothers her older sister, it becomes apparent in her facial expression. That was something she had picked up when living with her all her life.

"Yang, I can tell something is wrong," she said out of the blue as they walked towards their Valkyries, startling the blonde. "Your face is telling me something is bothering your mind."

"Well, it's just…" she stopped to look at her little sister, clenching her fist. "Hearing about the Windermereans had me realize something. Back home on Remnant, both humans and Faunas, if lucky, could live up to about ninety, maybe a hundred years, and yet people like Freyja could be lucky to live pass thirty. It sickens me to think that Freyja, the youngest of our group, is already middle aged in their standards."

"Yang…"

"Whoever thought it was a good idea to make them live that young need to get punched in the face." Her fisted then clenched further before calming down. "Of course, we don't really have the power to do that."

The younger sibling could only shake her head. "Yeah, we don't. All we can do is support her through her trials."

"How is it that you've become the 'wise sibling,' Ruby?"

"Maybe because I have a bigger responsibility now. Team leader of RWBY and Third Lieutenant of Delta Platoon, remember?"

"Right," saw all that Yang could say before laughing, making her way to her own Siegfried beside Ruby's. The young girl could only shake her head over how her mood had changed as she walked towards her own fighter, climbing in the cockpit before closing it up. She then checked on her phone, smirking over the progress of connecting JN(P)R's scrolls to broadcast the show on Randor. She had already thanked Reina the night before checking over her Valkyrie's status.

* * *

In the main city on the surface of Randor, a large crowd has gathered over towards the stadium that Walkure would perform on. Thousands of people, from the working citizen to the youngest child, stood in anticipation for the sound unit to make an appearance, while many are looking forward to seeing Freyja for the first time. Despite the show being used to prevent the rise of a future Var outbreak, many men and women couldn't help but get hyped to see the singers perform.

It was at the dawn of the evening as the crowd covered the streets, and the familiar sound of Valkyrie thrusters made everyone look up in the sky to see the Delta Platoon entering the atmosphere. They all cheered as the nine VF-31s flew the skies as they deployed both Cygnus drones and smoke trails in their respective colors. It wasn't long for the people to increase their cries of excitement as a shuttle followed behind the fighters, opening its hanger doors as four distinct lights floated. They all knew that they were the prominent members of Walkure, hearing the catchphrases of each one.

"Music is Love!"

"Music is Hope!"

"Music is Life!"

"Music is Mystery!"

Back on the shuttle, Freyja was breathing heavily over the fact that she was still in the air and not gliding down with the others. She clenched her hand close to her chest as the thought of jumping out frightened her slightly. Her eyes, despite the fear emanating from her body, showed determination to follow Walkure's footsteps and become the best she could be.

"If I try, I can fly…" she muttered to herself as she calmed down slightly, repeating them. "If I try, I can fly… If I try, I can fly… If I try…"

She then let go of the handle of the shuttle before jumping off, skydiving her way down towards the provided stage behind Walkure. Her outfit began to alter into that of her stage uniform as she got closer to the ground, seeing the crowd roar out for her in the littered streets. As her uniform finished forming, she let out her part of her calling, 'Music is Energy,' before stumbling on the ground, getting some laughter from the crowd as the other singers joined her.

* * *

"Ooh, look guys, it's starting."

Thanks to Ruby's friend, Nora, Jaune and Ren had all huddled over her scroll as the broadcast on Randor showed them the tactical sound unit landing on stage. They never knew that the young girl had known someone on her side that would help connect them to her, but that they would be able to see Walkure's performances. Nora looked over her fellow teammates who, like her, have changed over the course of the months Ruby has been gone to be a pilot.

Jaune was the one that has changed the least out of the three, still wearing his hoodie and jeans underneath his armor. His armor, instead of the dull white with grey accents, is now a bright with a gold trim. His sword and shield was also given the same treatment, with the blade getting a better polish. She knew that the metal they had brought to upgrade his gear was that of the late Pyrrha Nikos, making her think that it was his way of remembering her.

Ren, from what Nora could tell, had gotten rid of his old attire completely, wearing an outfit that fits his persona. He now wears a longer, sleeveless tailcoat over a black, sleeveless turtleneck with red tasseled rope over his hips. His arms now adorn a pair of gradient pink-to-black detached sleeves from his middle fingers to his biceps, ending in metal armbands. His hair, which she makes is the bigger change to him, now flows freely instead of in a ponytail, now going to his hip length.

Finally, she overlooked herself to see her new outfit. Out of her old clothing, only her gloves and the white top remained for her to keep, though the heart cut out on her top now sports a diagonal cut. Over it, she chose to wear a zippered blue-black bomber jacket with her emblem on the back, with the print damaged over use. Her skirt is now slightly longer with pleats that created more flair for her, complete with two wide belt loops at the waist for her matching belt.

"Man," she heard Jaune whine out. "Ruby's lucky. She gets to fly in space and go to other worlds, while we're stuck here, looking for Grimm despite them being gone for months. How come she gets the cushy job and not us?"

"Jaune, you wouldn't last long in those fighters they're flying," Ren pointed out, sitting beside his partner and remembering his motion sickness. "Besides, it's best if we are to stay here and cheered them on."

"Exactly," Nora shouted out, eyes glued to the screen and looking at Walkure on stage.

" _Listen to the songs of the goddess,_ " she heard Mikumo speak out in the feed, joined by the other members. " _ **Chojiku Venus, Walkure!**_ "

"Do they always say that in every show?"

" _W-Walkure,_ " was heard from Freyja in the broadcast to them, proving Nora's point.

"So that's Freyja," Jaune whispered as he looked closer. "I heard that she was kind of a klutz?"

"Ruby told us this." Ren then sighed before prying the scroll off of Nora's hands, opting to hold it himself. "She's been talking to Nora a lot, and Nora tells us what's been happening on her side."

"Aww."

" _Now,_ " They looked back at the broadcast to see Kaname making an announcement. " _Let's have an introduction from our newest member!_ "

" _Huh,_ "they saw the new girl get surprised before receiving the microphone, looking at the crowd. " _Oh, Uh, I'm Freyja Wion, fourteen years old from Windermere, and I love apples._ " She then bows down to them. " _N-Nice to meet you._ "

"I can tell that she'll be a favorite," the blonde knight commented, getting a glare from Nora. "What?"

"I can tell you're going to 'love her,' Jaune," she said in a sarcastic tone, making him jump. "You do know that she is out of your league, right?"

"Nora…"

" _And now,_ " They all looked back to the screen as Mikumo spoke up in the show. " _It is time for our opening act,_ _ **Fukakuteisei Cosmic Movement**_ _! (_ _ **不確定性**_ _ **COSMIC MOVEMENT**_ _)_ —"

* * *

" **—** Screw up, and you're fired!"

Mikumo's words ran through Freyja's mind as she looked at the mysterious venus in shock, only to look as their outfits changed to a matching set. Hearing the crowd over this, she began to smile as the song itself began to play, making her go along with the beat. On instinct, she started to sing the opening chorus of the lyrics out to the city, joining the others of Walkure as they jumped up in the sky.

It wasn't long for them as the Cygnus drones activated the holographic dancers, floating around the sky as everybody in attendance waved their arms out. Along with the drones, the Valkyries under Ruby's command separated from Arad's unit as Delta's 01-05 soared the skies, leaving the smoke trails going in the air as more holograms appeared, shifting from planets to apples. The whole attendance watched in awe as the sky lit up from the display, cheering out Walkure's name as their excitement continued to rise.

Ruby, while waiting for her cue for her division to take part in the air show, couldn't help but be amazed over the view the concert was giving her. From Freyja's cheerful attitude to Mikumo's voice in the song, she couldn't help but hum to the beat of the music. She looked out to see that holograms depicting Walkure in different show outfits appeared and floated to the crowd, interacting with them before dispersing as the five Siegfrieds flew through an inverted pyramid.

She then earned a look of shock as she saw Hayate's fighter break off formation, shifting over to Gerwalk mode and flew closer to the ground. He was immediately followed by Mirage, who only commented on how he disobeyed orders again. Her fighter had shifted into Gerwalk mode as well as they flew together, rotating in the air until the young man broke off from her. His Valkyrie then shifted into Battroid mode before dancing to the song, earning more cheer from the people in the crowd.

Yang can only smirk as Hayate's dancing is aggravating the Jenius pilot, knowing that his improvising is working to their favor. Weiss, while sharing the same opinion as Mirage, shook her head as it was not impeding the air show the Delta Platoon was doing, while Blake could only wonder how it would be implemented into combat. Each of Team RWBY had their own thoughts as they waited for their cue, watching the dance from their own Valkyries.

"The Immelmann Dance, huh," Arad commented as the young pilot finished with the end of the first chorus, contacting Ruby and her division. "Secondary Division, it's your time to shine."

"Roger," They all said as the Valkyries replaced one another, with Blake shifting her VF-31 into Battroid mode. Activating the Cygnus Drones built into their fighters, the girls' semblance systems were booted online. The raven haired girl used hers to leave a holographic afterimage of her fighter, making sure it's posed to look like it was leaping in the air. It didn't take long for Weiss to join in in Battroid mode, touching the hologram and encasing it in ice.

"Here, how about some wings," Yang commented as the Cygnus drones on her Valkyrie's fists ignited in flames, launching them on the back of the ice sculpture that Blake and Weiss worked on. The snow themed girl only smirked as she flew over to the digital before encasing it in holographic ice, noticing that most of it went more into making the hair. Shifting it back into Fighter mode, she flew away from the projection, smiling as it was made to resemble the signature emblem of Walkure.

The crowd was shouting out even more when their fighters worked on it, while those at the back were treated to a different spectacle. Flying closer to the crowd, Ruby had left behind a trail of holographic rose petals while in Gerwalk mode. She can almost feel that her Valkyrie had interacted with some of the people as the others touched the displays she left behind. She then flew back up into the sky to rejoin her group as Yang, still in Battroid mode, fired five reactive bullets at the same time at the end of the second chorus, joined by Freyja as she stumbled on stage again.

"Var emergence risk, down to 48%," Kaname spoke up as Freyja got back up, looking over the display on her hand.

"Freyja's Fold Recepters are not active," Reina commented as well before rejoining in the song.

"Wow, check out how excited the crowd is," Yang commented on the light show after finishing their part of the air show. "Maybe we should stick with stage performances."

"The people here love Walkure," Weiss spoke up in their communicators. "That, and it's to help prevent a Var outbreak."

"If the Var is taken care of," Ruby joined in the conversation. "We should go back to Remnant and have Walkure perform there."

"Right now, we have a job to do."

"I know." The young girl then looked out as the crowd roared even more. "Maybe I should travel more often—"

" _Delta 01, Delta 06_ ," her comms bursted to life as she heard the _Aether._ " _Unknowns has been detected in orbit. They are coming down your way, now._ "

"Unknowns," she whispered in shock, looking up to see six fireballs descending until they cleared the atmosphere, resembling the fighters that came back from Al Shahal.

" _We see them,_ " she heard Arad comment as the unknown planes got closer, with two of them launching drones of their own. She saw that they were making their way over towards Walkure's stage, particularly at the Cygnus drones that were projecting the holograms in the air. She then looked back at the unknowns again, unsure of what they're up to.

"We already know," One of the unknowns' pilots spoke up with his twin.

"Your greatest weakness."

On cue, the drones flew passed the Cygnus machinery, disabling them with an EMP emitter coming out of them. The holograms quickly dispersed as they fell out of the sky, impacting the ground while making the crowd clear away from them in fear. Both Walkure and the Delta Platoon watched in shock as their equipment vital for preventing the Var were quickly deactivated, and Team RWBY, passed by the drones belonging to the unknowns, discovered that the semblance system was shut down as well.

"They researched us well," Mikumo commented as the Cygnus drones continued to plummet to the ground.

"The enemy's jamming disabled our fold wave amplifiers. We can't—" Reina examined the data before being interrupted by Makina.

"INCOMING MISSILES!"

By instinct, the Walkure singers immediately got down as the unknowns launched the missiles towards them, reminding Ruby of what Yang told her about the last time on Al Shahal. Not wanting to see them hurt, she flew over towards the missiles line of sight along with the Delta Platoon, shifting over to Gerwalk Mode and arming her weapons systems. She then opened fire on the missiles with Arad and Messer beside her, taking out some of the armed explosives.

"We have to protect the civilians and Walkure," Arad commented to his platoon, being joined by the rest of the VF-31s with him. Each missile was immediately destroyed one after another, none of them reaching their desired target. The people that made up the crowd took notice of the carnage and ran towards safety, knowing that they'll be killed if they stayed in the firefight.

"What the hell's their problem," Yang commented on the unknowns, eyes red in irritation.

"More enemies," Mirage was heard by them as she looked at the screen, recognising the IFF signals as she looked behind to see a division of VF-171s. "No, it's the N.U.N.S."

"Alright, Reinforcements," Chuck cheered in his own fighter.

"I don't know…" Ruby muttered to herself, eyes narrowed. "I have a bad feeling about this."

True to her word, the situation immediately grew worse as the sound of an opera singer echoed across the city, Making Ruby, her team, Hayate, Mikumo and Freyja the only ones out of them to hear it. However, they were joined by Messer, who suddenly started reacting to a headache due to the unknown song. The young girl believed that the reason that she's hearing it was due to her aura, hoping that it doesn't have a connection to the Var.

"Girls," Yang interrupted her thoughts. "Is it just me, or are you hearing it as well?"

"Yeah, I hear it, sis," she answered her, shocked to hear from her sister.

"Wait, I'm not the only one, then," Weiss asked them, getting a nod from Blake. "How can we hear it?"

"I don't know. But I know it's going to get worse."

Again, true to her word, the VF-171s began to fly towards the city, going towards the Delta Platoon and Walkure. They immediately opened fire on the VF-31s as the newer fighters broke off, avoiding the reactive bullets the Nightmares were shooting with. They all stared in shock as the supposed N.U.N.S. reinforcements kept flying in formation despite being against them now.

"Wha…" Mirage started. "Why are the N.U.N.S. units attacking us?"

"Seriously," Hayate asked as the N.U.N.S. kept firing at them.

"It can't be…" Arad started out. "Could they be affected by the Var? Delta 03, check."

"Aye, Sir." The Ragnan activated the scanner function as his Valkyrie got the radar dish out, scanning the passing VF-171s in the air. "They're at 93.5%. They're Var Infected."

"But the Var is attacking in formation," Mirage pointed out. "How is that possible?"

"Doesn't matter," Weiss cuts in, seeing another wave of Valkyries incoming. "We have more hostiles on us."

The Var controlled N.U.N.S. forces continued their barrage on the surface and on the Delta Platoon, with one of them going straight after Chuck's fighter. It never had the chance to open fire on him as Weiss flew in right behind it and took shots at it, taking out the wings and putting it out of commission. He thanked her in his head before returning the favor, firing his gun pod at a VF-171 behind the snow-themed Valkyrie. They then spotted more VF-171s opening fire on Walkure, seeing the girls running off to safety as they avoided gunfire.

"Damn, we have no choice," Arad spoke out in irritation. "Prioritize the safety of both the civilians and Walkure."

Messer, who shook his head after a sudden spike of pain, acknowledged the order without question and opened fire upon the Var Infected N.U.N.S. forces, destroying some of the opposing Nightmares that fired on Walkure. He was immediately joined by Blake's fighter, who chose to cover his back while they opened fire upon the enemy. He then spotted another N.U.N.S. fighter going towards Blake from underneath, forcing him to switch over to Battroid Mode and finished it off.

"We attack," Hayate asked as he watched in his own Valkyrie, avoiding the shots from a VF-171 tailing him.

"They're allies," Chuck pointed out.

"Isn't there any other options," Yang asked out in frustration.

"They're not themselves," Mirage argued, only to be silenced by Messer.

"So what? That may have been true before, but right now, they're enemies." He then shifted into Fighter mode and took to the skies, destroying another VF-171. "Our job is to protect, even at the cost of our lives. The same goes for the N.U.N.S. pilots. They know what they have signed up for."

"Same goes to us, Yang," Blake cuts in, firing at a Var infected Valkyrie until it was destroyed, leaving only the cockpit. "When we first stepped into Beacon months ago, we were walking into a job similar to this. Our duty was the safety of the people, and if it costs our lives to save them, then so be it. Until I die, I'll keep fighting. The White Fang, the Grimm, the Var… Hell, I'll fight the N.U.N.S. if it means saving everyone."

Ruby couldn't believe what Blake had said to her, but she knew the meaning of those words. Determined, she gathered four of the VF-171s in the air to chase after her, dodging their fire as they got closer. Smirking, she shut off her thrusters at the last second to drop down, forcing her pursuers to pass her Siegfried unit. She then pushed her thrusters to maximum and opened fire, downing three of the Var N.U.N.S fighters as she took out their thrusters. She then flew closer to the remaining fire before shifting into Gerwalk Mode, aiming the left arm gunpod to shoot down the Nightmare's wings, disabling it further.

"Weiss, Ice Flower," Ruby commanded as the Valkyrie piloted by her partner came into view, seeing it fly towards her. She never got close enough as two of the unknowns opened fire on Weiss, forcing her to evade the shots and course away from the young reaper. She cursed out to herself before engaging another Var infected, taking two more VF-171s out of commission. She then saw that Weiss was managing to avoid the unknowns' bullets, before gazing up to see Mirage's fighter chasing an N.U.N.S fighter.

"Just the wing…" Mirage muttered out as she got closer, aiming her weapons at the opposing fighter. "If I can just hit the wing—"

"Delta 04," Messer shouted out in the comms. "Check, six."

She then looked behind her to see another unknown approaching her Valkyrie from behind, ready to launch its own drones against her. Due to her looking back, the Nightmare she was pursuing managed to fly off and avoid destruction. She then tried to shake off the unknown off of her and resume her pursuit, only for it to keep up the chase. As she closed her eyes, Messer and Blake showed up behind and opened fire on the unknown, forcing it off of her.

"Delta 02, Delta 08," she thanked on the comm, only for the Grim Reaper to scold her.

"You almost got taken down because you hesitated."

She only groaned as Messer had a point, seeing him destroy one of the drones with Blake watching his back. The unknown's pilot was pissed that he never got to take out the VF-31 in front of him, so he dispatched another drone to finish his pursuers, only for Blake's Valkyrie to destroy it as well. They both kept up the chase on it until a particular unknown fired upon them, drawing them away until the pilots recognized each other.

"Oh," the unknown's pilot, the blonde male, smirked as he saw the emblems. "I remember you two."

"This guy again," Blake commented as she saw it.

"Yeah, he was there on Al Shahal," Messer confirmed, engaging it with her in the skies. They all flew up in the air in a locked stalemate battle as the unknown switched between Messer and Blake's Siegfrieds, each one firing their own barrage of bullets and missiles. When Arad gazed up and looked at their battle, he can't help but recognize the flight pattern of the fighter his pilots were dealing with.

"That flight pattern," he muttered as he observed more of it. "Could it be…?"

His train of thought was immediately gone as he saw more VF-171s going towards him, forcing him to switch over to Gerwalk mode and gun down two of the Var controlled fighters. Those that remained untouched by the commander's assault opened fire upon his Valkyrie, making him dodge and avoid any possible damage dealt to him. When he saw them shift to Gerwalk as well, he primed his gun pods to open up, only for Ruby's fighter to fly up and sever the legs and weapons off of the N.U.N.S machines in Battroid mode. He mentally thanked her for the assist before changing into Fighter mode, taking on more of the Var Infected.

Meanwhile, Hayate has been avoiding the attacks from both the unknowns and the Var controlled military until he caught notice of missiles passing him. Looking out, he saw that the armed explosives were heading towards the running Kaname and Freyja, intent on killing them. He immediately began to fly towards them as the missile impacted the ground, separating the two singers and forcing Freyja to prematurely land on the ground. As she began to get up slowly, a Var Infected VF-171 landed in front of her, aiming it's gunpod at her.

"FREYJA," he shouted out as he landed, tackling the Nightmare out of the way. "Are you alright, Freyja." He received a nod from her as a response before looking at the N.U.N.S fight, shifting into Battroid with it before wrestling the weapon out of its grasp. "Don't screw with me."

He never got the Nightmare's rifle out of its hand as it kicked him down to the ground, groaning as his back felt the impact. He then saw his opponent raise its weapon before firing at his downed Valkyrie, causing him to raise his arms up to emit a barrier system to keep him alive. Even at the barrage of reactive bullets, he saw that the barrier gauges were dropping rapidly.

"Damnit," he cursed out. "The barrier won't last long."

True to his word, the barrier system that shielded him gave out, damaging the arms to the point where the right hand was destroyed. That didn't stop him from doing his duty as he saw the VF-171 reloading its weapon, giving him a chance to get back up on his feet. Right as he did, the Nightmare finished reloading its weapon before aiming at his fighter, about to pull the trigger when he began charging it.

"Protecting Freyja…" he started as he rushed the machine. "Is my duty."

The Var controlled Valkyrie opened fire as he got closer to it, with the bullets passing by and not hitting him. Hayate took the only chance he got and tackled the Valkyrie down to the ground, pinning its weapon away from it. The machine could only struggle as the pressure the VF-31 pushed on it increased, keeping the Var pilot out of the fight for the moment. It was then that Mikumo's voice began to echo in the background, singing **僕らの戦場** as it reached the skies.

"A song," Freyja commented as she saw Mikumo passively walk over to the edge of a building near the struggling Battroids. "Mikumo?"

Hayate was shocked as the mysterious venus continued to approach his Valkyrie, jumping off the building and glided down to the ground safely. Both him and the Var controlled pilot kept their gazes on her as she kept her approach, grasping the lever on the VF-171 before twisting it. It caused the cockpit of the machine to open, revealing the pilot's body as she leaned closer continuing the song before glowing brightly. The Var symptoms effectively began to disappear as the pilot regained his senses, breathing heavily as his eyes returned to normal.

On instinct, Freyja began to sing along to the venus as she started running towards her. Her rune had already began to glow brightly as she happily sang with Mikumo, making her way to her as Hayate lets go of the Nightmare, getting his Siegfried back on its feet. The other Var Infected N.U.N.S. pilots began to react to the song as their sense of self started to return, reducing the amount of foes the Delta Platoon has to face. As they returned to normal, their Valkyries halted in their current positions, allowing them to realize what they were doing.

"That's Walkure for you," Arad commented while he's still in the air, looking over to the side. "Alright, let's deal with the unknowns for now."

"Right," Ruby said as she shifted to fighter mode, ready to engage them before the _Elysion_ contacted them.

"Commander Arad, they got us," Ernest shouted out, getting his and everyone else's attention.

"Wait, they did what?"

"They hit the _Aether,_ " the commander asked him on the comm, only to see the Zentradi shake his head.

"No, it was a set up." He then showed them what happened, depicting more unknowns in Battroid mode holding a city hostage. "While you were fighting the unknowns on Randor, their army took the advantage and invaded Voldor."

"Wait," Yang spoke up in her fighter. "Did you just say…"

"Army," Mirage finished for her, standing beside Hayate not long ago. "Just who are they?"

The unknowns, including the one Blake and Messer immediately broke off from the fight before getting back together, shocking the two pilots that fought them. As they did, they all began to reveal silver on their fighters, with the one in the leading taking more of a gold finish on it. It didn't take long for emblems to appear on the fighters, with the coat of arms coming out in the end. The Delta Platoon, minus RWBY, were shocked over the reveal as they recognized it.

"What the hell," Yang shouted out. "What the hell are they doing now?"

"That coat of arms," Mirage muttered out, looking closer on the screen.

"I knew it." Arad narrowed his eyes as the unknowns began to let out a smoke trail of their own. "It's the Aerial Knights."

The newly identified Aerial knights kept flight in the sky as the smoke trails they left behind blended together, with the same coat of arms on the fighters glowing brightly in the sky in it. They then shocked the girls as the machines began to alter themselves, shifting the bodies until they resembled the Battroids. They then stood in attention in the air as the coat of arms was replaced with a broadcast, revealing a young man wearing glasses and a military uniform unlike the N.U.N.S.

" _To the Brisingr Alliance and the Entire Galaxy,_ " he started out, grabbing everyone's attention. " _I am the chancellor of the Windermere Kingdom, Lloyd Brehm._ "

"Did he just say," Weiss shouted out in shock. "Kingdom?"

"Windermere Kingdom," Yang finished as she looked to the ground, spotting a distraught Freyja.

"Lord Lloyd," she whispered out as they kept listening to the broadcast.

" _Children of the Protoculture, We, the Windermere Kingdom, in the name of the Great Wind and his highness, King Gramia Nehrich Windermere_ -"

"Windermere," Arad muttered out in irritation.

"— _hereby declare war on the New Unified Government!_ "

That was the last word that frightened Ruby to the T. She had always known that she had never been part of a war on Remnant, nor does she want to be involved in one. Now, as she kept her eyes on the broadcast that continued, she began to freak out over the possibility of it reaching Remnant. Everything felt muted to her as she shed out one single tear.

"It can't be…" she muttered out. "We're now at war?"

* * *

The broadcast from Windermere had reached everyone in the entirety of the Milky Way galaxy, and the N.U.N.S had already began to mobilize their forces to combat the new Windermerean threat. One group of the military, a scouting unit under the control of a red VF-171 Nightmare, was under attack as it, along with three different colored N.U.N.S. fighters were forced to fight their comrades. Those four fighters were the only ones unaffected by the Var, but they knew they won't last long if the fighting continued.

The four kept dodging the rounds their former comrades kept firing, using cover from the asteroid field to their advantage. They didn't take into account that the Var would keep attacking if they ran. The CO of the group then nodded his head to the others before flying out, opening fire on the Nightmares. Some of the rounds had impacted only one of the machines before the rest returned fire at the red Valkyrie, forcing him to take cover.

"Damnit," he cursed out, seeing the bullets fly passed him. "How did we end up in this mess?"

" _Jude,_ " A light yellow Valkyrie called out to him, showing on his screen as a young woman. " _We can't keep this up. We have to get out of here._ "

" _As much as I want to disagree,_ " the dark brown VF-171 spoke up, showing as male on his screen. " _I'm siding with Leia. They're no longer our men thanks to the Var. They'll kill us if we keep fighting._ "

"Just hold the line, Leia, Alvin," He told them, popping out of his hiding space and destroying another Var Infected fighter. "We'll pull through. We have before during the Vajra War, and we'll do it again here."

They all nodded together before the Var N.U.N.S. forces destroyed the asteroids with missiles, forcing the small group to break off and flee while returning fire in Gerwalk mode. Each of the bullets passed the standard colored Valkyries with a stray hitting the legs or the arms until they shifted into Fighter mode, decreasing the distance between those infected and those that were not. The fourth Valkyrie, light blue in color, received too much damaged before exploding, killing the pilot.

" _PRESA,_ " Alvin shouted out before looking in front of him. " _Damnit._ "

"She'll be remembered," Jude, his commanding officer, told him before looking in front of him, force stopping his Valkyrie as more VF-171 Nightmares blocked off their escape in Battroid mode, with one of Windermere's fighters in center. Leia and Alvin followed his example and shifted over to Gerwalk Mode, keeping their position behind him. The Windermerean fighter then flew towards them slowly, taunting them.

" _Well, this is certainly a surprise,_ " The Windermerean spoke up. " _I didn't realize that the Earthlings would have those resistant to the Var. Honestly, we really need to work on that._ "

"What's the meaning behind this," He asked the enemy fighter. "Why did you declare war on us?"

" _Do I really need to answer that?_ " It then flew backwards as two more Windermerean Valkyries appeared behind them. " _We're doing this to renew our pride. You Earthlings had the gall to blame us for what we have never done._ "

"What?"

" _You say that We were the ones who committed Genocide on that one day, Seven years ago. You said that We were the ones responsible for dropping a Dimensional Bomb on Our surface. We'll keep fighting you pathetic, weak humans until we fold our blackened wings._ " It then looked at the VF-171s under the Var influence. " _A shame that you three won't last to see us win, but don't worry. We'll make sure your 'friends' join you soon._ "

It then raised its hand to give out a signal as the Nightmares primed their weapons at the three survivors, with the pilot smirking. The three survivors, growing fearful over what will happen, closed their eyes to wait out the impending doom for them. It never came as Reactive bullets appeared out of nowhere, destroying two of the Var infected Valkyries in an instant. Jude then opened his eyes to see the Windermerean fighter in shock, looking up to see a sight he never thought he'll witness.

The cause of the two Valkyries' destruction was a VF-25 _Messiah_ , one of the fighters that took part in the Vajra War eight years ago. He noticed that it had deployed speaker pods around the battlefield, hearing a song that was last sung by the two songstresses, Ranka Lee and Sheryl Nome. It then flew passed them as the Var fighters shifted into Fighter mode, chasing it down into the asteroids.

" _Jude, was that…_ " he heard Leia as the Var opened fire on the new addition, shocking them as it avoided the bullets coming from them. They never knew that the pilot of the _Messiah_ was skilled enough to avoid them, and when the Var launched missiles at it, they feared for its life. They were sadly mistaken as the VF-25 shifted into Battroid mode, gunning down each of the missiles as the explosives got close, surrounding it in black smoke. It then flew out of the smoke in Fighter mode, amazing the survivors and enraging the Windermerean.

The new Valkyrie shifted its focus on the pursuing VF-171s as they neared, firing its salvo of reactive rounds at the group. Two of the Var were quickly gunned down as the rest broke off, trying to save themselves from the slaughter. They never had the chance as the _Messiah_ closed in on each of them, gunning each of the Nightmares one by one. It shifted over to Gerwalk mode and launched a volley of missiles at the farther groups, destroying or severely damaging the runaway fighters and putting them out of commission. It shifted into Fighter Mode before flying upwards passed the survivors.

It was then that one of them took notice of the emblem on its back, making them realize that it was the White Rose Valkyrie that saved them. The Windermereans, angered that the Var controlled fighters were completely wiped out by one single machine, and so two of them pursued it. Launching the drones at it, the two fighters sent them towards the black Valkyrie in the hopes of destroying it, only to see it shift to Battroid Mode and firing its gun pod. Two of the drones were gunned down as the rest flew off and firing their own salvo of ammunition at it, making the White Rose dodge the projectiles to avoid damage.

" _Jude, this song,_ " Alvin commented as they kept watching the legend continue to fight. " _I know it. It's—_ "

"Sayonara no Tsubasa ( **サヨナラノツバサ** )," he finished for him, watching as the other two drones were destroyed by the White Rose. The Windermerean fighters began to fly over towards their new foe, opening fire upon the jet black Valkyrie who managed to surprise them both. It kept strafing left and right as the bullets missed their mark, gunning down the missiles and humiliating the Aerial Knights in the area. They never knew that they were dealing with an ordinary pilot.

To prove its point, it shifted into Fighter mode and flew far, allowing the Windermereans to catch up. It waited for them to get a little closer, and once they did, it shifted back into Gerwalk and flew back behind them. At the last second, it primed the VF-25's standard gun pod in its left hand and popped out an arm mounted gun pod on its left arm, aiming them at the two fighters. The pilots went wide eyed over the surprise before it opened fighter, effectively destroying both machines before making its way to the last.

" _How dare you,_ " the last Windermerean pilot muttered out in rage. " _You destroyed our puppets, killed my two compatriots, and most of all, played a filthy song to irritate me. You have made a Grave MISTAKE!_ "

It then shifted over to Fighter mode and gave chase to the White Rose Valkyrie, catching up to it in blind rage. He opened fire and lashed out his entire missile count onto the machine that ruined his plans, seeing all of the explosives get close to it. The Valkyrie shifted into Battroid mode before opening fire on the missiles, destroying most of them before some of them reached it. A large explosion appeared from a chain reaction as smoke replaced the White Rose, shocking the survivors and earning a grin from the Windermerean.

Just as he thought he was done, reactive bullets appeared out of the smoke and impacted the drones attached to the Windermerean plane, destroying them in the process. The Knight cursed out as the White Rose flew out of the smoke in Gerwalk mode, deploying another barrage of missiles towards him. Angered, he had his Valkyrie change to Fighter mode and flew away from the missiles, using the mounted laser on the bottom to take out the explosives. The Black Valkyrie then aimed its main gun pod at the fighter before pulling the trigger, only to see it's out of bullets.

" _Out of rounds,_ " he taunted the mysterious Valkyrie, flying towards her after taking out the last of the missiles. " _Then do me a favor and DIE!_ "

The White Rose wasted no time in changing into Fighter mode before dashing off towards the asteroid cluster, with the Windermerean following it. It was a chase for the pursuer as he kept firing his own set of reactive rounds at the machine, seeing it continue to dodge its rounds. He believed it was futile to do so, thinking that he has already won. His prey then dashed over to the large asteroid, making him smirk.

" _You think you can hide from me,_ " he taunted yet again, dashing over to the asteroid in pursuit. _"It's useless. You have no chance of beating me._ "

As he searched the asteroid, he could have sworn that he saw it move behind it to hide from him. Regardless, he searched the surface of the rock to find the VF-25 that bested the Var N.U.N.S forces and two of his fellow Windermereans, hoping to avenge his comrades. His thoughts kept him in the dark as he had passed the White Rose, aiming its arm mounted weapon at his Valkyrie in Battroid mode. The slight glimmer of the gun barrel caught his eyes, and before he could say anything, the _Messiah_ opened fire, destroying the machine and killing the pilot.

The survivors, who witnessed the White Rose in action, watched in awe as the Valkyrie that saved them began to fly off, seeing the speaker drones return to it as the song ended. The three of them saluted to it before shifting their own VF-171s into fighter mode before taking off. If only they knew who the pilot of the White Rose was, they would be able to thank him/her.

As the White Rose flew away from the scene of battle after completing its duty, the pilot sighed before finally relaxing in the seat. The pilot appeared to be a young woman, looking to be around her mid 20's. If she had lived normally in peace, she would have been in her late 30's, but due to fold jumping, hitting the Fold faults, she appeared younger than she could be. Taking off her helmet briefly, she allowed her long black hair to be free, seeing the red streaks dim lightly.

She went on to the Valkyrie's console to see what was new in the Brisingr Globular cluster, seeing the main headline 'Windermere declares war on N.U.N.S.' along with the many side headlines from various sources. She then looked over the PMC database, looking over Chaos' pilot listing. She nearly stopped as one name in particular name caught her eye, causing her to gasp in shock. The name 'Ruby Rose' was on top of the screen along with her information, making the woman tear up slightly.

"I can't believe it…" she whispered. "She's now a pilot… How did this happen?"

Wanting answers, she looked over the Chaos enlistment details on Ruby, shocked to see that the Var Syndrome had striked Remnant's Mistral Kingdom. Details showed that she had taken control of a VF-171 before engaging the Var Infected on the surface. It later showed that Yang Xiao Long, Weiss Schnee and Blake Belladonna had been enlisted with her, and with how the years had passed, they all appear to be in their mid to late teens. Closing off the browser, she flew the VF-25 to where a fold pack was waiting, attaching it to her Valkyrie before activating a Fold Gate. She let out one heavy breath before her silver eyes looked forward, flying into the Gate. Her destination… is the Planet Ragna.

* * *

 **A/N: Well, it has taken a while, but I finally got the chapter done. The past few days were spent on typing this chapter and getting it ready for you all to read it. Also, has anyone seen the latest episodes of Volume 4? It gave me some ideas for this, but only some minor ones.**

 **So that last scene in the chapter. I believe that you all have figured out who the White Rose should be, but I wanted to show how skilled she was in the VF-25 Messiah. I also wanted to show how JN(P)R watching the Waccine tour over their scrolls. Since I have been watching Volume 4, I wanted to show that in the months Ruby's been away from Remnant, they changed into their timeskip outfits. And the teasing from Nora…**

 **Review Replies:**

 **Manperson294:** _ **Great chapter man. Also, you know how Weiss can sing, right? Well, what if her voice resonated with Ruby? Just a thought. After all, you're the author :D**_

 **I'm aware. However, I have already made Weiss a pilot instead, so she won't be singing with Walkure. If she did, she won't be emitting any Fold Receptors, or factor numbers that are minimum than required.**

 **Guest:** _ **THERE IT IS! BLAKE VS. THE MERCAT!  
So awesome and funny!**_

 **I knew you would enjoy that.**

 **Yuiharime:** _ **Fufu~I love that you approve the idea of having Weiss jealous of Ruby and Makina's relationship and I also see that Yang is jealous of Blake hanging out with Messer. Interesting.  
I love the new chapter and I look forward for the next one, but I'm also looking forward for Dead Rising 4 cause I'm a fan of Frank West.**_

 **In Frank's words: Fantastic. And I'm glad that you approve the ideas. It's going to be a continuous thing in this fic, that's for sure.**

 **XY Kid:** _ **Writing a fanfic while busy with life is understandable it doesn't matter how long as long as you update.  
Great chapter and nice conversation of each characters  
And hooray, Qrow the asshole appears! I don't hate him but I can't seem to like him either.**_

 **I know. Life is what I like to call a bitch most of the time. But now that it's getting slower at work, it's going to add in some more time for me to type. And I can't help but wonder why you call Qrow an asshole, but I like him. But it seems that you can 'tolerate' him.**

 **Marcus the Kane:** _ **I like story! Shame no Jaune Arc but still awesome! I am so recommending this to Jexi the Hunter and Hope the Victor! They're gonna love it!**_

 **Thank you for recommending it to your friends. I'm honestly surprised over the amount of attention this is getting, to be honest.**

 **Guest:** _ **Messer messing up with Blake and Messer like to read Erotic books like Blake… huwaw!**_

 **I know what you mean, and I wrote it. Ehh, the Blake x Messer ship in this fic (Reaper's Belladonna) is going strong… for now.**

 **Tendaysromeo:** _ **I get ya, I think I'll stop giving points on each chapter for now and just enjoy reading the story you made and I must say it is really great!  
Character Interactions at its best and the fight scene is as heartstopping as the anime.  
Now what mysteries lie on Ruby?**_

 **When you read the last scene of this chapter, you have the answer to one of those mysteries as to how Ruby is able to fly a Valkyrie with ease. There's still some more to think about. And thanks for calling it great. I mean it.**

 **Wee-0wee-0:** _ **Updates may be slow, but hey at least its worth waiting as you did a good job writing a mix of canon and fanfic of the particular episode.  
The battle with Ruby added in the mix and Blake going back to Remnant were all clever.  
Keep it up.**_

 **Well I'm glad you understand. The good news is that with Winter Season approaching, I'll have some more time to type the chapters. Only bad thing is that I may end up with less shifts over at work, but I saved enough to keep me going for a time. And thank you for calling the additions clever.**

 **ElentiyaViStaadtfeldt:** _ **I don't think Keith would act like that. And is it Weird that I want Keith to be paired with whoever is supposed to take his place?**_

 **You're actually right on that, but I think when he was younger, he was pissed over what the N.U.N.S. did to the soil of Windermere. And no, it's not weird to pair him with whoever would take over, but really, the one that will become the White Knight after some chapters passed in the future will have more of a connection to the RWBY characters, despite being a Windermerean. I'll leave it to you to think who it is.**

 **Guest:** _ **I think I like the idea of Weiss singing to resonate with Ruby, but how is that gonna work when they are both pilots?**_

 **Easy, I'm not having her sing. If it is for a start of a concert, then yes, but not to resonate with Ruby.**

 **XY Kid:** _ **While Team RWBY is busy with the Macross team, I imagine the remainder of Team JNPR got involved with the world of Aquarion EVOL. Yeah, that's a crazy… If I get an account, I'll do a story of that!**_

 **Go ahead and make an account if you want to make one. I'd advise you make out a rough plan on how you want to start it off, and go from there. What characters you want to focus on, and how exactly the story will work out. Also, have a program on your computer that will allow you to type, since I use Microsoft Word 2010 to type mine.**

 **From now on, I'll be replying ALL reviews on the chapters' ending A/N, not just the guests. That way, you all know my answers to them.**

 **I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. What do you think? Leave a Favorite, follow and/or Review.**

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	9. Conflicted Resolve

**Disclaimer: RWBY is owned by Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth Productions while Macross is owned by Shoji Kawamori and Studio Satelight.**

* * *

 _2012 AD, Earth time._

 _Mankind began the interstellar migration and colonization of habitable planets they found across the galaxy._

 _However, a good number of those planets are already inhabited by indigenous groups._

 _The children of the Protoculture, the advanced civilization that sowed the seeds of life across the galaxy, have met again after several tens of thousands of years._

* * *

Due to the declaration of war announced by Windermere, Ruby hasn't been acting like herself lately. Even after returning to Ragna after successfully supressing the Var on Randor, she never thought that she would end up being part of a large scale battle between an independent planet and the central governing body of the N.U.N.S. The very thought of war has never been in her mind, but she feared that she won't last during a major conflict.

Right now, she, along with the entirety of the Delta Platoon and Walkure, has been waiting for the senior officers Arad, Ernest and Kaname to arrive. She had noticed that each of the members had separated to gather their own thoughts with the veteran pilots, with Yang calming herself with deep breaths beside Chuck, Weiss rubbing her arm as she sat in front of Mirage, and Blake being deep in thought beside Messer. She kept looking into her hands as she sat beside Hayate, who also shares his own concerns about the war.

"You too, huh," she heard him whisper to her, giving him a nod in response. "It's crazy… we both thought we just need to quell the Var. Now… everything has changed."

"I know," she whispered back, bringing her legs up and close to her chest. "I never thought that this would happen. Why did it have to come to war?"

"I'm not sure." He sighed before looking up. "I guess it… no, it chose a bad time to rear its ugly head."

"Why did it have to come to war, though," she asked him, worried about the answers.

"From what I heard, Windermere had an N.U.N.S garrison set up on their surface. They believed that they would do what they wanted to their people, so they fought against the army seven years ago. I suppose that small war of independence ended when Windermere detonated a Dimensional Bomb, but the exact details are sketchy."

"Sketchy?" she looks up to the ceiling. "With what Windermere did on Randor, sketchy fits them."

"SO GOOD," the both of them looked over to the table to see Freyja snacking on bags of chips, sitting beside Makina and Reina.

"Jellyfish chips are like crack," the pink haired girl said while in bliss, savoring the taste of the snack.

"Indeed!"

"Not to mention it's the spicy limited edition," Reina added in before popping the chip into her mouth.

"I'm surprised they have the energy to eat with a smile," Yang commented on the Walkure girls as the doors opened up, causing everyone to stand in attention to the senior officers now present. They all can tell how serious the situation is by the looks of both Arad and Ernest's faces, knowing that valuable information would be shared between them all. Both the Captain and the Commander moved further in as the doors behind them closed.

"Sorry for the wait," the human of the duo announced. "Let's get this meeting going."

The lights of the room dimmed immediately as the two officers made their way to their spots, with Arad staying beside Kaname and Ernest going to the bench behind them. The projector beamed to life as Arad held up his datapad to give out the facts, putting up a hologram of Ragna beside Windermere. What shocked the girls was the large sphere surrounding the home of the Windermere Kingdom.

"As of right now," Arad started up. "Windermere is eight hundred light years from Ragna, surrounded by a dimensional barrier. So far, no more attempts of re-entry into the planet's surface by the N.U.N.S. have been made." He then brought up a display of the six fighters they fought on Randor, with the schematics rotating a 3D model. "Moving on, these new units we have encountered are the SV-262 Draken III."

"The ones piloting them are the Aerial Knights of Windermere," Ernest added in. "They are winged knights who pledged their lives to serve the royal family."

The image of the Drakens then narrowed to the fighter with the gold trim, along with a holographic flight scan as Arad continued. "Judging by these movement patterns, that has got to be the White Knight of Darwent."

"White Knight," Both Ruby and Hayate spoke up in at the same time, the former shock with the latter curious.

"It's the title that's passed on to the ace pilot of the Aerial Knights," he told them images of a different fighter and a Windermerean male popped up.

"White," Chuck asked. "Not Black?"

"It would have made a lot more sense if the title was called the Black Knight," Yang commented, looking at the Drakens on screen.

"That unit used to be colored in silver," the Zentradi captain told the Ragnan, keeping his arms crossed the whole time.

"That explains the choice of the name 'White Knight.'" The blondes lilac eyes widened as she looked at the _Elysion_ 's captain, who now sports a grin on his face.

"Some paths are bound to cross again."

RWBY's eyes went wide over the realization that dawned over them. They think that Ernest had experience in dealing with the Windermereans before they met him, judging by the way he handles the information. Before any of them could, Freyja had beaten them to the punch by asking Arad.

"Were you on Windermere, by any chance?"

"Yeah, seven years ago," he told the young Windermerean. "But that was during their war of independence."

"Were they the ones controlling the N.U.N.S pilots," Messer asked him, followed by Blake.

"And if so, would they be able to take orders from the Aerial Knights?"

"That's most likely possible," Kaname answered this time, taking over from Arad.

"So they were the ones involved in all of the previous Var outbreaks," Chuck asked her out of curiosity.

"Not all, but they were involved in some. HQ mentioned only cases with powerful bio-fold waves detected could be attributed to them."

"In other words, the major Var outbreaks involving the military were caused by Windermere," Weiss theorized. "Aside from Atlas, the only main fighting force on Remnant was the Huntsmen and Huntresses, and they were hit by the Var that day. Then on Al Shahal, the military faction that was infected was the Zentradi ground forces. Now, back on Randor, it was the N.U.N.S themselves that got hit with the Var. Whatever this is, it seems that Windermere is only focusing on infecting the main fighting force of the planets."

"Up until now, they've been…" Makina paused, looking down as Reina continued for her.

"Experiments."

"Most recently," Arad spoke up again, gaining their attention. "They were able to work together instead of being merely reduced to a mindless mob. That's my guess, at least." The projector then displayed images of the situation on Voldor. "However, on Voldor, the majority of the N.U.N.S forces fell under their control and the planet essentially surrendered without any resistance."

"They conquered a planet without a fight," Mirage asked in shock.

"But how," the Ragnan added as well.

"I heard a song," Mikumo pointed out, getting looks from the girls.

"A song?"

"Yeah," Freyja confirmed, having her hand on her chest.

"It was a beautiful voice, but…" Makina started while in thought, again finished by Reina.

"It tingled and it sounded painful."

"It was the voice of a boy," the mysterious venus spoke up, shocking the girls and drawing a confused look from Freyja.

"A boy?" She then understood what she meant, nodding. "Yeah, I think so too."

Arad then looked over and asked the tactical sound unit's leader. "Kaname, did you hear it too?"

"Yeah."

"Is he an angel, or a demon?" Mikumo made her way over to the glass before touching it, seeing digital reaction from it. "He so quickly made so many Var Infected into his little puppets. Isn't that impressive?"

"I don't know about 'impressive,'" Chuck spoke up before looking at Mirage. "Could you hear it?"

"No," she quickly answered him. "Perhaps only Walkure members could?"

"I heard it as well," Hayate spoke up to everyone, caressing his necklace. "Or, I guess you could say that I felt it more than heard it."

"So, it's not just us, then," Ruby whispered slightly, only to be heard by those present.

"Right, we brought it up between ourselves," Yang added in, crossing her arms while thinking. "If we could hear it with Walkure and Hayate, then I guess it could somewhat be caused by our auras."

"Ok, that's impossible," Weiss interjected. "I mean, how could our auras, our only means of survival back home against the Grimm, suddenly cause us to hear a song that could be from a different planet. The very concept is absurd at most."

"I don't know, Weiss. But if it is a song that may be the cause of the Var outbreaks we've been through, then I say we better get rid of them."

"Then you better get on to that, girls," They all heard Ernest give out an order to RWBY. "We can't afford to have any Var Infected here." He then whispered the last part. "We don't want another Messer."

Blake, despite being far from the captain, went wide eyed before gazing at the Grim Reaper in shock. She couldn't believe that Messer, the man that helped train and assisted her, is actually ill with the Var Syndrome. The very thought of him being a mind controlled Var frightened her to no end. When he briefly glanced at her, she quickly turned her head, thinking that she'll talk to him at a later time about it.

"So," Freyja's voice echoed in the room, also in thought. "A song that travels faster than light and even beyond dimensions… a song that can reach one world from another… That sounds like the Wind Singer."

"A Wind Singer," Ruby asked, followed by Hayate.

"What is that?"

"The Wind Singer…" Arad spoke up to answer them. "It's a windermerean Legend."

"Yup," the young Windermerean girl confirmed. "About runes and the light of life."

"The Wind Singer…" Mikumo whispered to herself, curious about him.

* * *

"So, you have liberated two planets?"

"Yes. We have successfully controlled the Var with the Song of the Wind. This is the first step to securing the domain of the wind."

After the operation had been completed on Randor, the Aerial Knights have returned to the skies of Windermere, where the capital of Darwent lied. The White Knight, Keith, had already expected Lloyd to be waiting for him to make a report to their king, keeping his thoughts to himself. They had already made their way to the royal chamber, where Gramia Nehrich Windermere laid in his bed. They both kneeled down in respect for the man, whose body has shown the aged form of a Windermerean.

"However, doing so has strained Prince Heinz much more than we have expected," Lloyd continued his report to the bedridden king. "We also need more time to analyze the capabilities of the relics, which includes the Shrine of Time. I fear that we may need to reconsider our strategy."

"Fear not," the aged Gramia spoke out with a weakened voice. "The wind will surely blow, and bring destruction upon the Earthlings. Most Definitely." He then opened his eyes to see his chancellor and White Knight. "You may leave me."

"Of course, your majesty."

The both of them got up before bowing down to the old man, making their way out of his chambers. Keith caught the glimpse of his supposed replacement as they departed from the doorway, entering the room they had left seconds ago. Gramia closed his eyes as his runes stayed the dimmed red, before briefly glowing as he felt the presence of another Windermerean.

"Lloyd has already informed me of your situation, young one," he addressed to the person before opening his eyes, recognizing the bright red hair and form of the one in attendance. "My dearest friend, it is great to finally gaze upon you once again."

The Windermerean in question, female in form and adorning the uniform of the Aerial Knights, said nothing she knelt down in respect to the king. He briefly remembered the days of when she was considered a friend, shedding a tear when she was chosen for an N.U.N.S. project nearly 18 years ago. He shed those memories away as he knows they're now different, as she is still young after being reawakened from cryo-sleep while he aged throughout the years.

"I suppose that Lloyd has informed you of our situation?" He saw her nod in silence, smiling in secret as her hair was kept in a ponytail until regaining his sense of seriousness. "Then I wish to inform you that we are now in a time of need, friend. Our declaration of war has reached the outermost reaches of space, inciting fear upon the Earthlings and spurring the N.U.N.S. into action. It will not be long until our time to take the wind comes.

"True to what the chancellor told me, you are now next in line to take the mantle of the White Knight. However, thanks to the Earthlings, you were stripped of that right, and I was handed the title. Now, I am nothing more than an aged old man, friend. Even at 35, I cannot rest completely until the wind blows to our favor completely."

He saw her nod once again before continuing. "As such, if a time were to come if my first born son, Keith Aero Windermere, suffered to the point of being unfit for battle, you would be given the title of the White Knight. To that end, I hope that you would put your life to Windermere's agenda. Do you accept this?"

She nodded once again before finally speaking. "I pledge my life to the service of Windermere. I shall take the burden of the White Knight, accomplishing whatever goals we have set in motion." She breathed heavily before continuing. "Thanks to the Earthlings, I have slept the wind of time away as a Windermerean, and lived those years as one of them. I have seen how cruel humans can be, and before I knew it, my Earthling life had ended. I now have woken back on the soil of our fatherland, and now pledged my life to protect Windermere and its interests. I shall not rest… until the wind of victory is in our grasp."

His response to her reply was a genuine smile before speaking. "I am proud to hear you say it, old friend." He then saw her tilt her head up, revealing her livid green eyes as her rune glowed a blood red. "I expect great things from you."

* * *

All of Chaos has gathered in the boardroom meeting to speak of the current situation regarding the Windermerean declaration of war. In front of them all stood Ernest, Arad and Kaname, representatives of the _Elysion_ crew, Delta Platoon and Walkure respectively. Murmurs and whispers were only let out from the people attending the meeting until one detail had been spoken out, shocking even the prominent and recent members of the Delta Platoon.

"Our client's requirements have changed," Mirage was the first to ask them.

"It's from the autonomous government of the Ragna system," the Zentradi captain told them all, still standing in attention. "Up until now, our job was to handle and clean up the Var riots. In addition, we must now partake in the defence against the advances of the Windermere Kingdom."

"In other words, we're going to war," Arad summarized in one line.

"Accordingly, we'll update the terms of our contracts as well," Kaname added in. "Remember, Chaos is a civilian contractor. If you disagree with the new terms, you are free to leave. Just know that we won't fault you for doing so."

"Of course I'll stay," the Jenius pilot spoke up as she stood up in attention.

"Same here," Messer piped up from his spot.

"A pointless question," Mikumo told Kaname, playing with her hair. "Nothing would dare stop me from singing in the battlefield."

"I can't leave my cute little Siegfrieds, can I now," Makina asked before looking behind her, addressing the mechanics. "Am I right, everyone?"

"You spoke our minds Makina!"

"We'll follow you no matter what."

"I'm staying," Chuck spoke up after the Makina team before glancing at the bridge operators, making a kissing face. "Not to mention I've yet to date anyone here."

Reina ignored the cries of Beth, Nina and Mizuki as she raised her stamp, speaking out over them. "Ready to put my seal in it."

"Oh, please," Arad said as he crossed his arms.

"RWBY, what about you," Ernest spoke up to the three girls.

"Well," Yang started up, taking the reins first. "We can't really say that we approve this option… but if the war gets dragged over to Remnant, then you can count on us to fight for you."

"Exactly, especially as we now have experience on the Var and the Aerial Knights," Weiss pointed out. "That is something that Atlas back home never had, and if they were to fight Windermere's forces, they would not only lose, but die horribly."

"Plus, we can't burden ourselves over the whole galaxy," Blake spoke up. "We swore to help out against the Var, and Windermere has already shown its hand in controlling it. That makes both of them our enemies." She then stood up. "It would not be fair if we just sat by and do nothing."

The girls all smiled at each other before looking at their leader, who hasn't said anything yet. Ruby is still conflicted over the sudden choice to go to war, despite knowing that the Var had to be stopped. She thought about what her father would do, or more importantly, what her mother would do. Both answers came up to her, yet she hasn't said it to her team or to her senior officer.

"We'll wait on her," Kaname told him, to which he nodded before looking at Hayate.

"Hayate, what about you?" He earned no reply from him before smiling. "Give it some thought, OK?"

"Speaking of which," Mikumo addressed Freyja, looking at her. "What are you going to do?"

"Hmmm," she thought for a moment. "To be perfectly honest, I have no idea what war is."

"Is that so? There's a problem, however. The Chaos HQ is suspecting that you're a spy."

"A s-spy?"

"Mikumo," Kaname scolded her.

"What's your deal," Yang shouted out, ignored by the mysterious venus.

"The media and the fans all share similar sentiments." She then looked over her nails while still conversing with the Windermerean. "Well, it's definitely more interesting with a spy on board, but if you consider how they'll resp—"

"It's okay," Freyja interrupted, standing up to face the woman. "I'll do what I can and some more so that they'd believe in me." She then leaned closer and formed a W with her hands. "Count on it."

She then considered her words before smiling at the younger youth. "Is that so? I'm looking forward to it."

* * *

Another night has fallen later on Ragna's surface, and Ragnyannyan was still as busy as before. The only difference is that unlike the free spirit from the past, everyone is now on edge as the reality of war is kicking in to their heads. Many of the customers now share their concerns over how the war would be dragged on for, and notably, how many lives would be lost to Windermere.

That sort of atmosphere was tense even now, as Yang kept working hard to ensure that the people could eat in peace. She was glad that today was one of those days the mercat didn't bother showing up, along with the fact that nobody had ordered the Ragnan tuna special. She had a bone to pick with the thieving hybrid, from when it took a strand of her hair, to when it embarrassed her, her boss and his younger siblings. However, she had to thank it as one of its moves underwater allowed Hayate to win his mock battle against Mirage.

As it kept getting darker and she was passing out the orders, she was called over to where Chuck was, going to the table he's frequenting with Mirage, Makina and Reina. She was curious as to what they wanted to talk to her about, but if it came to Mirage, she thought it would be about making new formations for their Valkyries to take part in. Regardless, she walked over to their table, grabbing a spare chair and sat between the pink haired singer and the Ragnan chef.

"Yang," the male of the group spoke up. "I think it's time for you to take a small break. Let my two brothers handle the orders for now."

"But—" she started, only to see a worried look on his face. "Alright. What is it that you want to talk about?"

"Before we get to our conversation, we just wanted to ask you something. How is it that you think that your aura could cause you to hear a song?"

"I've been wondering about that, as well," Mirage spoke up, causing the blonde girl to think for a moment.

"Well, I don't really know how," she said truthfully. "It was never a problem beforehand back home. Our auras were basically like a force field that kept us going against the Creatures of Grimm." She took a deep breath before continuing. "Without aura, humanity would have perished to the monsters. So, we trained ourselves to utilize our auras in developing our semblances. However, there are times when your aura can't protect you." She motioned to her prosthetic arm, flexing it slightly. "I'm the prime example of that."

"How exactly did you lose your arm, Yang?"

"One of the White Fang's lieutenants got me." Memories of Adam severing her arm came up before shaking her head. "He had this semblance where he uses the energy of attacks we dish out to send back. At my moment, I thought I would have lost my life, were it not for Blake getting me out of there."

"And because of that, you hated her for leaving after that," Makina asked her.

"Yeah." She sighed once again. "To be honest, I'm still a little angry over that, but I promised the captain that we'll let the past stay the past. There's no need to bring it up anymore, now that we have more pressing matters to worry about."

"Hmm," Reina thought as she processed the information. "Maybe your auras, when trained enough, served as amplifiers to the song. Ruby said that she first heard it when she was close to Mistral with her friends, and that somehow, aura transferred the song to the monsters."

"You think the Grimm are scared of a song?"

"It's possible, when I think about it." She brought up the battle feed of the Var attack on Remnant. "Also, the Var came in at the exact same time as that occurred. If we're to investigate this, we'll have to wait until either the war is over, or when the Var hits Remnant again."

"Yeah," Chuck agreed, nodding his head. "Anyways, how's Ruby holding up?"

Thoughts of her sister came into her mind as he asked that question, wondering about what Ruby was doing. After the meeting occurred, she saw Ruby move out slower than usual. Then she remembered the declaration of war broadcast from Lloyd Brehm, the chancellor of Windermere. The very thought of going into war has since plagued the younger sister's head ever since they had gotten back from Randor.

"I don't know." She truthfully asked, looking at the datapad Makina was holding. "What's that?"

"A project that may benefit both the Delta Platoon and Walkure," the mechanic/singer instantly told her, being fed by Reina.

"Look at that now," Chuck commented, leaning forward a bit.

"Is it an upgrade to the multi-drone plate," Mirage asked them.

"Yeah," she answered them again, eating another egg roll from Reina. "We'll have to work even better in sync with the Delta Platoon. Plus, we can't have our Cygnus drones fall to another EMP attack from Windermere while we're performing."

Yang only nodded in agreement to the singer's statement before a conversation grabbed their attention. Far from the group sat three civilians that have grown concerned over the looming threat of war, from one saying it was ridiculous to the other stating that they should leave the globular cluster while they still can. Those thoughts began to plague the pilots minds as they too must now partake in Ragna's defence now.

"Hey, Mirage," Chuck spoke up to the experienced female pilot. "Have you ever fought wars against humans?"

"Wars against humans," Yang piqued up, listening in with the two Walkure members.

"Yes, back when I was in the N.U.N.S.," she answered him, looking down to the table. "Have you, Lt. Chuck?"

"I have too."

"Do you know about Windermere's war of independence?" She leaned further in. "That they used a dimensional weapon which resulted in an armistice that lasted ever since?"

"I don't know the exact details either."

"A dimensional weapon," Yang asked Makina as the two pilots continued. "What the hell is that?"

"Basically, a weapon of mass destruction," Reina answered her, taking an eggroll before putting it in her mouth. "It's the most powerful weapon developed by the N.U.N.S. to date. Far deadlier than a nuclear warhead."

"Yikes." She then pictured the possibility of such a weapon detonating on Remnant, thinking about the destruction it would have brought. She shivered over the power of the weapon, and feared that if Atlas had a dimensional weapon, it would have tilted the planet into total annihilation. She shook her head as she listened into the conversation between Chuck and Mirage.

"When they declared war a few days ago, they claimed the N.U.G. was taking advantage of them," the Jenius told the Ragnan, reminded of the broadcast.

"We're talking about politics between different planets, Mirage," he said, turning to face her. "Things aren't exactly black and white."

"Chuck, Miramira," Makina gained their attentions. "It's nice that you two are having a serious conversation, but you should fill yourself up."

"Food should be enjoyed, after all," Reina added in.

"Right." The Ragnan restaurant owner piped up, reaching for the food. "I'm digging in."

The blonde girl immediately joined in as well, grabbing a pair of chopsticks before taking a few dumplings. Taking a bite from one of them, she can tell that the taste of beef was present in the food, savoring the taste as she continued. Footsteps were heard to her as she saw Hayate walking into the restaurant, making his way over to the table.

"Hey, you're late," Chuck spoke up. "Where'd you go?"

"I was just walking around," he told them, taking a seat beside Yang. "I had to wrap my head around the whole war nonsense."

"Don't we all," Yang said to him. "Are you conflicted about it?"

"In a way." He sighed before continuing. "I guess I just haven't had the time to even think about it. I mean, war is pretty much a stupid reason." He then looked around, noticing the lack of a certain reaper. "Hey, Ruby didn't come with you guys?"

"After the meeting ended, we saw her leave for the dorms," Makina told him, worried about her friend. "I think she needs some alone time to think about her decision. I mean, I would too, if I was in her position."

"That, or memories of the Fall began to surface again," Yang added in, also concerned. "Sure, it was more of a massacre between humans, faunas and Grimm, but it was… traumatizing for her." She sighed before continuing. "The Vytal Festival was supposed to celebrate a time of peace, and yet, one person managed to tip the scales to initiate a gruesome battle. At first, it was shocking after when I broke Mercury's leg, forcing us to be forfeited from a tournament. But… it all began after Penny's death."

"Penny," Chuck asked.

"Ruby's first friend from a different kingdom." She looked down onto the table. "She was… torn apart into pieces by Pyrrha, and it sparked the Grimm into killing anyone they found. We fought as much as we could, but Ruby… she witnessed both Penny and Pyrrha die in front of her eyes."

"Damn," Hayate muttered as Yang kept going.

"So, when she saw the broadcast of Windermere declaring war… I think it triggered those memories to return again."

"Hence, why she went to the dorms after the meeting back on the _Elysion_ ," Reina added in, to which the blonde nodded to.

"I bet a sight like that would scar even the most experienced soldiers," Mirage muttered out, before looking at Hayate. "Anything else from your walk?"

"Other than clearing my head slightly, no," he told her before going into a deep thought. "Though, I supposed that seeing a fighter coming down from re-entry would be considered something."

"A fighter?" the Delta 04 pilot stood up. "Was it the Aerial Knights?"

"No, it didn't resemble the Drakens, if that is what you're thinking." He sighed before looking at Makina. "It bore a striking resemblance to the VF-1EX Valkyrie that I flew on my exam day, but the way it looked was more recent. Do you know what it was?"

"Hmm, Most definitely," Makina thought out. "The only Valkyrie I know that would look similar to the VF-1EX, or the old VF-1 Variable Fighters, would be the VF-25 _Messiah._ "

"How many Valkyries are being developed, anyways," Yang asked, shocked.

"Well, as the years go by, the military updates its hardware, every now and then. The VF-25 _Messiah_ is one of those hardware, though the jurisdiction of those machines are handled by the _Strategic Military Services_ , or S.M.S. as I call them."

"They played a huge part in the Vajra war, eight years ago," Mirage spoke up. "But why would one of their fighters come here?"

"Don't know," the young man shrugged off before hearing a news broadcast, making him and the others look over to where Freyja was at the bar. The broadcast went into detail as to how Windermere was strict over their border patrols, and that the way the young girl left to join Walkure was considered suspicious. Both Hayate and Yang knew that inside, Freyja was nervous, hiding it away in a false bravado. Yang, because she had experience through Ruby, and Hayate because he noticed her rune flashing a light blue.

Unfortunately, the peace in the restaurant was ultimately shattered as a large crowd of news reporters and cameramen filled the dining room, all going towards the young Windermerean. While everyone was shocked over how fast they got into Ragnyannyan, it quickly changed to anger as they all invaded her private space just for the sake of interviewing her. Nodding to one another, they all stood up and moved into Freyja's defence, with Makina and Reina being recognized by the reporters and Hayate moving to get the young girl out of there. The reporters all groaned in annoyance as their chance to interview a possible spy was thwarted.

"Hey, if you are not here to eat, get out of the restaurant," Chuck shouted out to them, only to be ignored as they began to swarm him with questions.

"Didn't you hear the boss? Get out if you're not going to—" Yang started until she felt a sudden tug, seeing some of her blonde hair lying on a reporter's shoulder. Enraged, she grabbed the closest person before dragging him outside, throwing him out into the cold waters. She then gave one more look at the remaining news reporters before making her way over to them, frightening them by a margin.

"Didn't you hear me," She spoke in a calm, but threatening voice. "Get out if you're not going to eat."

They all took the hint and ran for their lives, not daring to anger the sun dragon further due to their quest to interview Freyja. As they all disappeared from her sight, she let out a relieved sigh before walking towards Chuck, seeing him grin for no reason. She was about to say a word before a cheering cry was heard from the patrons, congratulating her for taking care of a nuisance that was growing.

Eventually, Ragnyannyan began to clear out as the night sky began to dim further darker, allowing the staff to clean up the mess. Even Makina and Reina, who helped divert the reporters from Freyja, opted to stay and help the family as they cleared the tables. They all gathered all together to have one more bowl of ramen before closing up, until Marianne noticed someone walk in.

The person was a young woman who wore a uniform similar Chaos', only with the colors being different. She wore a white hoodie underneath the jacket, with the hood up to cover up her hair while a pair of shades was sheltering the eyes. The jacket's colors were that of a solid black with a red lining on the bottom to the zipper. The S.M.S. emblem was visible over the left breast pocket, showing them who she belonged to.

She made her way over to the group, sitting down before glancing at Yang. A small hint of familiarity came across the blonde as the woman looked at her, though she can't figure out who she is. The woman then turned to face the front, allowing Yang to let out a sigh over who she is.

"Welcome to Ragnyannyan," Marianne greeted her. "How may I help you?"

"I'll take the tuna special," she announced, shocking everyone. "Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing. I'm just surprised that you would order that."

"Why?"

"Nothing." She then gave a smile to the woman. "I'll go make it right away. I hope you don't mind a mercat stealing the tuna."

She immediately made her way over to the kitchen to prep the special, leaving the woman with the others. Yang still couldn't shake the feeling that she should know who she is, but she pushed those thoughts aside as she moved to put the chairs on top of the tables. She then gave one more look at the woman's back before focusing on the job, being helped by Makina in the process.

"Yangyang," the pink haired girl spoke up, getting her attention. "When do you think Ruru will be OK?"

"Hopefully soon, Makina," she told her, relaxing a little. "It's going to take a lot more than this to bring Ruby down. She just needs some time."

The woman tensed slightly over hearing Ruby's name, relaxing as no one noticed when they were talking. She briefly glanced over to Yang getting out her phone, going to Ruby's number before making the text. Etching the numbers into her mind, she fished out her own cell phone before adding Ruby's contact info into it, putting it away in time as Yang walked over to sit beside her.

"So," she started up a conversation with her. "What made you want to have the tuna special? Everyone that orders it never get the chance to dig into it."

"I hear that, compared to other Nyannyan establishments, that Ragna's were 'to die for,'" the woman told her, glimpsing over to see her thinking. "May I help you?"

"This may be stupid, but…" Yang thought for a second. "Why do I have a feeling I know you from before?"

"I don't know. Maybe I sound similar to someone you know."

"Yeah, you do. You sound like a woman I consider a mom."

"Really," her interest was piqued, though she already knew the answer.

"Uh huh." Yang then looked down. "Of course, I'll never see her again. She disappeared without a trace one day. Even now, I miss _supermom._ "

" _If only you knew the truth_ ," she thought before the tuna special came up in front of her. Grabbing her chopsticks and separating them, she used them to tear the meat up slightly before grabbing a piece of fish with some greens on it before putting it in her mouth. Yang watched as she chewed on the special, hearing her moan out over the taste. The woman went to take another bite, but out of instinct, she used the chopsticks to block an advance from the mercat thief.

Both Yang and Chuck watched in surprise as the woman managed to stop the hybrid from stealing the tuna from her. Their shock only increased as the woman quickly twisted the chopsticks before launching the cat in the air, grabbing another pair of the wooden utensils before launching it towards it. The man made projectile pushed the mercat back out of the restaurant as the woman caught the previous pair before digging into the tuna.

"Holy crap," Yang muttered out in shock over the mercat losing before shaking her head, looking at Chuck. "Well boss, I'll see you tomorrow back at base."

"Take care, Yang," he said to her as the woman tensed again before calming down. As everyone had left to their homes, she immediately placed the cost of the special on the table before heading out, making her way to her destination. As she did, she pulled out her phone and looked over her contacts, highlighting Ruby's name. Smiling, she began to make a text to her, making sure she's being discreet.

* * *

Hours passed as she stayed huddled in her bed, Ruby still couldn't make a decision on whether to fight against Windermere. On the positives, she now knows which Draken is the White Knight's, and that it was Blake that was fighting him with Messer. She also knows that Windermere is the one responsible for the Var outbreaks she went through, from the one back home to the Waccine show on Randor. However, the only con she could think of is that Windermere's Freyja's home, and that she would be forced into fighting her people.

After the meeting had ended on the _Elysion_ during the day, she had made sure that she got to her dorm undisturbed. Covering herself in the blankets, even taking some from Weiss' bed, she huddled into the corner her bed laid on, trying to gather her thoughts. She looked over at her phone to see texts from Makina, Weiss and even Hayate, wondering to see if she was ok. She was about to reply to them when another text came in, only it was from an unknown number.

 _?: Are you OK?_

Her mind raced as she tried to figure out who got her number. Shaking her head, she decided to indulge in the unknown's number's question by replying back.

 _Ruby: Do I know you?_

 _?: Let's just say that… that I'm a friend of your mom._

She went wide eyed at the text, freaking out that the person she's replying to is connected to her mom somehow. Thinking, the only people she knew that were friends with her was her dad, uncle Qrow, Yang's mom Raven, as well as some of the staff at Beacon. She continued to think as the number texted her again, getting her attention.

 _?: I know it seems hard to believe, but I am telling the truth._

 _?: I was close to her more than her friends on Remnant._

 _Ruby: So… what should I call you?_

 _?: White Rose._

The now identified White Rose waited as Ruby thought about how to reply, trying to word her thoughts. In her head, she had questions piling up on her as she looked at the texts, more curious than before. Sighing, she had her phone in her firm grip, finally texting back.

 _Ruby: White Rose, what are you?_

 _?: A Valkyrie pilot, just like you._

 _Ruby: Really?_

 _?: Yes. I heard that you're thinking too hard._

 _Ruby: How did you know?_

 _?: I was at Ragnyannyan and overheard a blonde girl talking about you. She seemed worried about you. What's wrong?_

 _Ruby: Well… It's about the war against Windermere._

She looked down as she waited for the White Rose to reply back, wondering about what she should tell the number. While she is conflicted about it, she believes that she can talk about the problem with someone that's not in Chaos. She's also interested in seeing what the White Rose would tell her as the text came in.

 _?: I see…_

 _Ruby: I don't know what I should do. I mean, I know they're causing the Var outbreaks… but…_

 _?: If you can't think straight, I suggest that you sing to get your mind off of things._

 _Ruby: Sing? Why?_

 _?: Your mom told me that she'd sing to you when you're sick. I figured that by singing… you would have a clear head._

The thought of singing never crossed her mind as she kept reading the texts from the White Rose. She faintly remembered her mom singing to her whenever she wasn't feeling well back when she was a little kid. She frowned a little as she misses her, but then shook her head as she got back to her.

 _Ruby: I guess I can do that._

 _?: Great. Meet me in the air in your Valkyrie. You'll know which fighter I'll fly in when we meet._

 _Ruby: Any particular song?_

 _?: How about Walkure's Giraffe Blues?_

Nodding in agreement, she finally got out of her bed before making her way out of the dorm building. Grabbing her jacket, she ran passed Makina and Reina, who just got back from Ragnyannyan. She didn't hear them call out to her as she got outside, using her semblance to speed her way over to the Macross battle fortress that towered the city. Many people walking passed her were shocked to see the rose petals coming from her before shrugging their shoulders, minding their own business.

As she reached the base of the _Elysion_ , Ruby made a mental note of adding the identity of the White Rose on her phone so she could talk to her again. Entering the fortress, she quickly ran over to her destination in the _Aether_ , passing the crew that remained to work at night. She accidentally bumped into Mizuki as she ran, turning around and apologizing before continuing on to her destination.

She eventually reached the locker room in the _Aether_ portion of the Macross _Elysion_ , Opening it and grabbing her flight suit before closing it. Looking around, she noticed that she was the only one in the area before stripping out of her clothes, slowly putting on the suit without getting it caught on her bra. Looking herself over, she nodded once before leaving the room, leaving her change of clothing in her locker before leaving.

Due to the hanger bay being a close distance afterwards, she walked over with phone in hand, seeing a text from the White Rose saying that she was in her Valkyrie. Nodding, she closed it before entering the armory, making her way over towards the familiar sight of her VF-31 _Siegfried_. She was about to walk towards it until she saw Messer walking in, annoyed.

"Third Lieutenant Rose," he greeted her before seeing her near the fighter. "Are you planning on disobeying the stand-by order as well?"

"Sorry, Messer," She quickly told him, growing stiff. "Um, I just needed to clear my head, and I thought I could do so in my fighter."

"Our orders are to be on stand-by and wait for mobilization. You of all people know that."

"I'm aware, sir." She sighed. "Messer, permission to fly my Valkyrie to help clear my mind?"

"That would only violate the Stand-by order." He then saw her look down, making him sigh. "However, unlike Sgt. Hayate, you at least have the decency to ask first. Make sure you return after you're finished."

She sighed in relief as Messer made his way out of the hanger, leaving the young reaper with her VF-31 sitting in wait for her. Climbing on top of it, she entered the cockpit and started up the thrusters, seeing the windshield close down as the Valkyrie powered on. She looked over the fighter's systems as she was being lifted out into the open, taking in the view of the _Aether_ until she was set outside. Nodding, she ignited the thrusters to maximum, flying off of the _Elysion_ 's arm and into the air.

Getting some distance away from the battle fortress and Barrette City, she was greeted with the sight of the endless oceans of Ragna. She looked behind her to have another glimpse of the city, going wide eyed as a fighter flew beside her and going the same speed as her. She can tell that it looked similar to the VF-1EX, only she saw the designation VF-25 _Messiah_ on one of the thrusters. She also took notice of the white rose emblem on the back of the Valkyrie, shocked as it looked exactly like her own rose emblem. She was about to question it when she got another text.

 _?: I sent the lyrics over to your phone. Have a look and let me know when you're ready._

True to the mysterious pilot's word, her phone gained a notification, prompting Ruby to check it out. It brought up a website where it displayed Walkure's song choices on the side, with **GIRAFFE BLUES** ' lyrics covering the center. Studying them in one go, she was able to ingrain them into her head before closing the browser, looking at the White Rose Valkyrie and giving it a nod.

Hitting play on the console, she took a breath as the song began, calming her mind before opening her mouth. By instinct, she began to sing out the lyrics without any mistakes, continuing to fly together with the White Rose. Memories of her past began to surface as she kept singing, from when she was sick as a little girl, her mother sang to her, making her healthy the next day. She mentally smiled over the memories as she kept singing, unaware that her silver eyes faintly glowed.

She began to move her Valkyrie in a spiral pattern along with the VF-25 besides her, leaving behind a faint smoke trail in the skies. As she did, her fighter began to fly sky high, making a heart shape along with the White Rose as her singing continued. They then passed each other before moving on to make more shapes in the night sky in their machines as the view became visible to the people in Barrette City.

Yang, yawning as she made her way over to the dorms, couldn't help but hear Ruby's voice, going wide eyed as the song felt familiar to her. Looking out to the sky, she saw two faint lights making the smoke trails and couldn't help but think that Ruby is out there. Freaking out, she made her way over to the Macross _Elysion_ , joined by both Weiss and Blake as they ran towards the battle fortress.

They weren't the only ones who heard Ruby sing, as Kaname, who was working on how to increase Freyja's fold output, suddenly got a receptor reading. Curious, she switched the screen over to the next, surprised to see the readings coming from Ruby. It was later confirmed as she heard Ruby's voice singing one of their songs, shocked that a young girl, a Valkyrie pilot, was able to emit bio-fold readings. She thought about the possibilities of having her in Walkure, but shook her head as she made the choice of being a pilot.

As Ruby kept on singing while flying with the White Rose, the memories became more prominent as she now recognized the song. Tears were lightly shed as the song was connected to the past, smiling as the music somehow made its way to Walkure. Wiping her face, she kept her flight with the White Rose as her voice continued to resonate with the song, mentally thanking the VF-25's pilot.

As she had finished the second chorus of the song, she immediately shut off the thrusters, shocking the other pilot as her _Siegfried_ began its plummet down to the surface. She kept the nose of the fighter pointed down to the ocean until she reached a certain altitude, switching over to Gerwalk mode right before she hit the waters and flying back up in Fighter mode. Her Valkyrie then met up with the VF-25 _Messiah_ as she sang the last part of the song in harmony, making one last smoke trail with the White Rose until it resembled the familiar emblem of the rose.

Ruby, looking at the White Rose's Valkyrie, saw it move up towards the sky, thinking that it heard her sing through the windshields before making her way back over towards the Macross battle fortress in Barrette City. Believing the pilot's words, the song did help clear her mind a lot more than what she did back in the dorm building. She nodded her head as she now made her decision over whether she'll partake in the defence against Windermere.

Reaching the _Aether_ , she lowered her speed as the Valkyrie touched the metallic ground that acted as the runway. Shutting off the thrusters as she turned lightly, she breathed out a heavy sigh before opening up the cockpit, climbing out of the Valkyrie. She had just had her feet touch the surface when she suddenly felt someone tackle her down in a hug.

"Ruby, what the hell were you thinking," she heard Yang's voice, looking behind to see her sister. "Why were you flying during the stand-by?"

"Sorry, Yang," she apologized, hugging back. "I needed to clear my head. I—"

"Yang, you're suffocating her," they both her Weiss scold the blonde as she and Blake walked up to them. "Though, I have to ask why you had to go fly out in your Valkyrie."

"Well…" she paused to take a moment. "With the war against Windermere, I was conflicted to even think. By flying, it helped me calm my nerves and make a decision."

"And?"

"I decided to fight." She then got up with Yang. "It wouldn't be right for team RWBY to join in without their leader, right? Plus…" she looked up at the sky. "I had someone else help make up my mind."

"That's good to hear, Ruby," Blake spoke up. "We also heard you sing, by the way."

"You heard me?"

"We all did," Weiss nodded as she walked up to her. "It's like your voice reached out to us as you flew."

"Not only that, but it was mom's lullaby as well," Yang spoke up. "How did you remember it?"

"To be honest, it's Walkure's song now," They heard Kaname speak up behind them. "That song was given to us by the White Rose pilot. She told us to use it for any shows or Var outbreaks."

"I see," Ruby whispered, smiling as the melody she grew up was given to Walkure. "Thank you, Kaname."

The Walkure singer nodded as she made her way back inside the Macross fortress, followed by Yang, Weiss and Blake. Ruby stayed behind to see the sky, thinking that the White Rose is somehow watching over her. Smiling, she walked back over towards the VF-31 and took the helmet out, looking over it before putting it back. She then looked up once more, closing her eyes.

"Thank you, White Rose," she said out loud before following the rest of the girls back inside. Unknown to her, in Ragna's orbit, the White Rose pilot, hair free and silver eyes looking at the ocean planet, smiled as the girl she knows have made her decision. She then took out a photograph of her holding a young baby Ruby, adorning the forgotten white cloak before smiling.

"You're welcome… my little Rose," the pilot whispered to the picture before putting it away, flying off in the VF-25 to another part of the globular cluster.

* * *

 **A/N: Honestly, I believe that this chapter is more conversations than action, but all in all, I'm happy with what I have written down. Surprisingly, I have actually spent most of my time in more than one week to type up this chapter, while I still had time to deal with my personal life.**

 **While the lack of Freyja singing might be a little disappointing, I figured that the chapter still needed someone to sing a song. With it focusing on Ruby, I figured I would have her sing out GIRAFFE BLUES while flying with the White Rose, not knowing who the pilot really is. When talking about it with fellow writer Caden Goff on Xbox, he is like, 'Wow, best M***** of the year goes to her.' Regardless, the White Rose spent time with Ruby, who we know who she is. As for Ruby singing, I had to picture her Seiyu, Saori Hayami, singing the song.**

 **Review Replies:**

 **Guest:** _ **Yang getting jealous towards Blake and Messer. Well Yang, you can't blame us readers that we find them compatible, but if you have the urge to kill someone, wait for Mercury to appear, and then you can massacre him.**_

 **Something tells me that you wanted Mercury dead since Volume 3, right? Regardless, he's not going to appear at any time at all. Still, the jealousy Yang feels for Blake and Messer will be going strong.**

 **XY Kid:** _ **Thank you for the advice, but I think I'll let my brother Marcus the Kane (yes, we are siblings whom share a laptop even quarrel to who goes to use it) do that story since I'm more of an editor than a writer.  
As for the new chapter, I think it's a blast especially in the last part was a huge surprise.  
And oh don't mind me about Qrow.**_

 **Ehh, no worries about Qrow. Though, I didn't know that you and Marcus were siblings, but being an editor helps out a lot. Hell, I don't have an editor on me as I type my chapters. Though, sometimes, I go through to see any spelling errors on my part, but it gets overlooked since I have been typing really long chapters now.**

 **Tendaysromeo:** _ **S-S-S-She's ALIVE! The White Rose is HER!  
And here I thought she's like a figment from the past but she's alive and still active. Talk about a shocker!  
Really like the new chapter and I just like how you make this fic more interesting in every chapter and the surprise element in this one is amazing.**_

 **Well, I am just full of surprises, let me tell you. And I did establish that the White Rose was going to be a main point at some time. And uh, when you said 'S-S-S-SHE'S ALIVE,' I can't help but remember the Gintama moment where the characters were like 'S-S-S-SHOGUN KAYO!'**

 **Wee-0wee-0:** _ **This is really good. Lots of things I like are in this chapter! The semblance system was so cool, Team JN(P)R watching Walkure was fun and the actual pilot of the White Rose is… I must refrain from spoiling but it was shocking.  
You really did great in this chapter.**_

 **Thank you. I figured that with the semblance system on the Valkyries, Team RWBY would add more flare to the Waccine show. And also, I needed to have JN(P)R watch Walkure perform in a situation where it didn't start off as a riot (like Mistral and Al Shahal).**

 **Yuiharime:** _ **Another chapter that I can't help but love it.  
I'm really interested in how Yang's jealousy towards Blake and Messer's relationship goes.  
And oh Jaune crushing on Freyja is tempting but he already had Ruby.  
I like to see more relationships in the next one.**_

 **Like I said before, the jealousy will be a constant thing. But 'Jaune already had Ruby?' Uh… I get the chemistry between them, since they're both sociably awkward, but They're just friends in this. Sorry.**

 **Marcus the Kane:** _ **And yes, there they are. Jaune and the gang appear, nice!  
I think I know why Freyja became Jaune's favorite since both of them are clumsy and both are inexperienced. If jaune was given a chance to go to Ragna, he and Freyja can definitely become good friends.**_

 **Now that you think about it, yeah, they can become good friends. The only thing is that Jaune and the gang are staying on Remnant, since Chaos didn't leave anything behind for them to travel out into the Globular Cluster. Also, no one on Remnant has any space travel agencies.**

 **Guest:** _ **Now that Volume 4 is up, how would it affect the flow of your story?**_

 **That is honestly a good question. To tell the truth, the only thing it would affect would be Arc III: The Truth of Remnant. There will be some changes during the current arc, but the main thing would be that Arc III will change in the planning department. Other than that, nothing else comes to mind at the moment.**

 **I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. What do you think? Leave a Favorite, Follow and/or Review.**

 **With that out of the way, I'm BlazefireDrago, signing out.**


	10. Asteroid Dance

**Disclaimer: RWBY is owned by Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth Productions while Macross is owned by Shoji Kawamori and Studio Satelight.**

* * *

Pressure was the one thing the girls grew up with back on Remnant, with the threat of the Creatures of Grimm lurking on the planet, but nothing could compare them with the intensity of both the Var Controlled N.U.N.S. and the Aerial Knights of Windermere. Having been no stranger to intensity, Yang continued to fulfill her role as a pilot of the Delta Platoon's Secondary Division under her sister's command. She just only wished that the calls to action would ease up a little.

After going through yet another encounter with the Var Syndrome and the Windermereans, she, along with the rest of Team RWBY, all stood next to Ruby's VF-31 as they try to come up with a plan. Blake had already taken the role of the team's Messer of the division, along with adding her own input on how to improve their skills. She mentally sighed as she was scolded by both her and Messer himself for doing more punching than firing the Valkyrie's gun pods on her own fighter.

As she looked up at the cockpit, she can already tell that Ruby had matured more after the day she sang out in the skies of Ragna, and she couldn't help but notice an increase in skill against the Var. She then looked over to Weiss to see her brushing her hair, noticing how she has gotten the attention of two Aerial Knights identified as Theo and Xao Justilla. Finally, she looked at Blake, who has been working on a flight strategy in case she and Messer went up against the White Knight.

Tilting her head over, she had noticed that Chuck, Hayate and Mirage stood in attention in front of Messer, who is also looking into a plan to best the White Knight. Judging by the way they were standing, she can already tell that he was going to point out the flaws of their flight patterns. Her hunch was right on the money as Messer took a look at the three standing before him.

"Second Lt. Chuck," He addressed the Ragnan of the three. "Remember that activating the scissors results in a loss of power."

"Aye, sir," Chuck said as he closed his eyes, allowing the Grim Reaper to continue with Mirage.

"Second Lt. Mirage, you're neglecting your right side. You'd be dead if not for Commander Arad covering you."

"Yes, sir," she acknowledged as Messer looked at Hayate, lowering his datapad.

"That is all." Messer then turned around and left them. "Dismissed."

"Now hold on a second," Hayate shouted out, stopping Messer in his tracks. "What's the point in calling me over? You haven't said a thing about my movements."

"Why waste my time. You're not even worth talking to." His statement angered the young man slightly until he turned around. "But since you asked, let me tell you something. Don't hesitate in battle. If you get the chance, take the enemy down. In the past few encounters, you have only aimed for the wings." He then glances over to Mirage. "The same goes for you, Second Lt."

She took one step back in surprise before standing in attention, speaking her mind to him. "The Aerial Knights are one thing, but the N.U.N.S. pilots were merely under mind control."

"The commander, Chuck and Ruby also aim for the wings when fighting N.U.N.S.," Hayate added in, only to be shot down by the Grim Reaper.

"That's because they have the necessary skills to do that, and Third Lt. Ruby has been improving her flight patterns in each encounter." He then turned around again. "You two do not. Keep this up, and you will die."

"Sir," Mirage called out again. "Can you elaborate further on my mistakes?"

"Your controls are precise," he says as he turned to face her again. "Any mistakes I could point out would be nitpicking."

"Then again…"

"That is also your weakness. You flew by the book, meaning your motions are obvious. Against seasoned pilots, like the Skull platoons of both the First Space War and the Vajra War, or the White Rose Valkyrie, you wouldn't last a minute." He then saw her look down before continuing. "Sgt. Hayate might be lacking in multiple aspects, but his movement is often unpredictable." He turned his back on the small group for the final time. "As ludicrous as the Immelmann dance is, it does demonstrate a good sense of piloting. Not that it would keep you alive for long."

He then made his way out of the armory, leaving the three behind as Hayate began to mutter under his breath. The girls only giggled at the sight of the young man getting more angered by Messer's attitude, only to stop immediately as Blake glared at them. They all decided to mind their own business as the faunas made her exit, intent on following Messer.

"Is it just me, or has Blake been spending more time with Messer," Weiss asked the two sisters, who Ruby could only shrug before going back to working on her flight patterns. The white haired girl looked over to see the blonde looking at the disappearing form of her teammate with distant eyes, sighing over what was going on. She then nudged her a little, getting her out of her stupor before addressing her.

"Come on," she told Yang. "Let's go rest up."

Yang only nodded in agreement as her teammate took her away from Ruby's fighter, allowing the young girl to keep on working on her strategy against the Windermerean forces. Weiss looked back at the black and red colored fighter before sighing, mentally smiling that the small reaper was back to her normal self. She then left the hanger with Yang in tow, catching Mirage and Hayate at the same time before leaving altogether.

* * *

"Planets Listania, Airberl, and now Anthem III. Windermere has already annexed a total of three planets in the cluster."

In the Macross Elysion's briefing room, Ernest, Arad and Kaname have gathered themselves to address the increase in Windermere activity in the Brisingr globular cluster. Both humans had worried expressions as to what the independent planet is up to, while the Zentradi smirked in response to what his Windermerean rival, Gramia Nehrich Windermere, would come up with. They all looked at the hologram of the cluster, with the planets the captain highlighted in violet to show Windermere's control of the region.

"They won all of their battles so far," Arad commented as he looked at it. "Most of the N.U.N.S. forces not under the influence of the Var were either put down, or surrendered to keep their lives."

"Oh please," the Zentradi spoke up as he smirked physically. "Turning the tide around is where the game gets fun."

"Commander Arad," Kaname addressed the elder human. "Can we expect any reinforcements from central Spacy?"

"I wouldn't bet on it," he told her. "They probably think this is some minor conflict between frontier worlds. Not to mention, they have their own stuff to worry about. Politics are tough."

"I see." She then handed over her datapad to the two males. "Also, I found something interesting with Ruby."

"Oh," Ernest spoke up in curiosity. "And what would that be?"

"If you take a look, please." She then shifted the projection to that of Ruby's face, along with the bio-fold receptor readings. "Our youngest pilot here emitted powerful bio-fold readings some time ago, when she had permission from Messer to fly out in the skies. I looked into it when I heard her sing one of our songs, particularly the one given to us by the White Rose."

"How powerful are these readings," Arad asked her, shocked over the news.

"Very powerful. I began to suspect that they may be more powerful than Mikumo's. However…"

"She made her choice to stay a pilot," Ernest concluded, looking over the readings while thinking. "However, there will be a time when we'll need her to sing. It's just not the time right now."

"I agree," Arad followed up, taking a bite out of his crispy jellyfish. "And right now, we need all the pilots we can get, and thankfully, she's showing a lot of improvement over the encounters. It makes me suspect that maybe a family member before her was an experienced pilot."

"Right," Kaname nodded, looking down. "But we don't know Who that person is."

"For now, let's focus on Windermere's advances," the Zentradi spoke up, looking at Kaname. "You go break the news to the girls. They need to know without Ruby knowing."

"Sir," she saluted to the two of them before leaving them behind, gathering her thoughts on how to tell Weiss, Blake and Yang about Ruby's bio-fold readings. She would expect the blonde to not believe it, saying that it was impossible. However, like the three girls, Kaname heard the young girl sing **GIRAFFE BLUES** on that day, shaking her head over how crazy everything has become.

Shaking her thoughts aside, she made her way over to Walkure's locker room, intent on changing out of her uniform and into her casual wear. Entering it, she stripped down out of her outfit, putting on her light brown jeans and a light tan sleeveless sweater. Grabbing her fedora, she looked and fixed up her hair with a mirror before grabbing a bag of Barrette jellycatfish and closing the locker. She sighed one more time before walking out, catching a glimpse of both Arad and Messer, listening on them.

"So I heard you gave our pilots the Spartan treatment," Arad told him as they entered their locker room.

"It's because I want them to stay alive," he told the old man.

"Just try to go easy on them. Don't break them in the process." The two men then walked out of the locker room in their casual wear, while Kaname continued to listen. "What about you, though? Are you feeling alright?"

"No problems at all."

"That's good to hear. Remember to take it easy sometimes."

"I know."

Kaname, breathing in and out, decided to walk out from behind them, still carrying the bag of treats in her hands. Running up from behind them, she easily caught up to the two males before catching her breath. She then coughed out to get their attention, smiling as Messer looked at her.

"Hey there guys," she greeted them before looking at the commander. "Look at what I've got—"

"AHH, Barrette jellycatfish," Arad shouted out in joy, grabbing the bag and getting a laugh from her.

"Wanna try some at a later time?"

"Sounds great."

"You too, Messer," Kaname addressed the Mohawk-styled man.

"I need to prepare for tomorrow," he told her before turning his back, leaving her behind with Arad.

"Come on, Man," Arad called out. "It's jellycatfish. It's the best kind." He then sighed before looking at Kaname. "Sorry about him. He's always so unsociable."

"It's fine," she told him with a smile before glancing over, going wide eyed that Blake caught up to him and left by his side, looking down. She never expected her to be with Messer, but believed that Blake had something that she didn't. Her heart broke somewhat over the interaction going on between them before shaking her head, smiling at Arad. "Shall we, then?"

* * *

While the situation at the _Elysion_ was calm over the War situation, the same could never be said for Ragnyannyan. Thousands of people came in and ordered at the Chinese/Ragnan family restaurant, making the night the busiest for Chuck's business. Even with the added help from Yang and Weiss, the Mustang siblings continued to slightly struggle as more people came in to eat at the restaurant.

Marianne cursed under her breath as she stood in the center of the restaurant by the pillar, taking most of the orders from the people already sitting down on the tables. It didn't help much to her that both Zack and Hack informed her that even more people showed up to order from the restaurant. While she groaned that she has to deal with them, she mentally cursed at her older brother Chuck, who was upstairs with Hayate, Freyja, Ruby, Makina and Reina.

"Sis," she turned around to see Hack. "We have another group waiting for their food."

"OK," she told him before clenching her fist. "Damn you, Chuck. Leave me with all the work while you laze around."

The Ragnan in question sneezed loudly as he mentally heard Marianne curse him out, shivering at the unexpected chill. Like she had predicted, he had a layer of empty alcohol cans all over him and Hayate as they sat on the floor, with Makina and Reina taking the hammock and Ruby sitting on the edge of the Ragnan's bed. They all took the time to relax while the others in the restaurant have to deal with the late night dinner rush.

"Dude, screw Messer," they heard Hayate mutter out in anger, drinking out of a can heavily. "Who the hell does he think he is?"

"Before, he wouldn't even scold us," Chuck told him, speech slurred thanks to the alcohol. "When we screwed up in any way, he'd just give you that look of his."

"I know what you mean," Ruby added in, drinking out of a glass of milk. "Even Blake has started to act like him when she starts scolding us. I swear, it's like Weiss and Blake switched positions in my team."

"Thinking about it sends shivers down my spine," they heard Reina speak out.

"Though, I think I would rather have Weiss scold me. Blake's eyes, added with Messer's way of thinking, are asking for hell."

"Yeah, It does…" they heard Freyja whisper at the corner, huddled alone. "Messer told me that I was good for nothing with that face of his…"

"Poor thing," Makina pointed out, followed by her green haired friend.

"Word."

"By the way…" the mechanic looked at the pilots. "Where's Miramira?"

"She stayed behind to practice," Chuck told them, giving Ruby the image of Mirage in the simulation room. "It's no surprise, given the way she got told off."

"Weiss would have been in the same situation," Ruby piped up. "Too bad Yang dragged her over here to help with the restaurant."

"Well, with the war in the way, people would want to relax as much as they can," Makina told her. "And this isn't the first time a Nyannyan restaurant got so busy in a war."

"First Space War, Protodeviln war, Vajra war…" Reina listed off.

"And now the war against Windermere," Chuck finished for her. "I mean don't get me wrong, I like the busyness going on right now, but I kinda wished it wasn't during a war."

"Mikumo's such a slave driver…" Freyja said out of the blue, getting everyone's attention as she stood up, smiling. "But she looks so cool on stage, with her long hair floating behind her."

"The way Messer flies is also impressive," Hayate spoke up, sounding admired. "A lone dart piercing the blue sky. A straight, sharp line."

"He's not called the Grim Reaper for nothing," Chuck said with a smile. "judging by pure mechanics, he may even have the commander beat."

"He's good to his _Siegfried_ , too," Makina added in, eating her donut.

"Huh?"

"Hayahaya's such a mess." She elaborated further. "You sortie once, and she comes back more trashed than a girl after an all-nighter."

"A complete wreck," Reina commented while Ruby kept picturing the many times Hayate's Valkyrie came back either battered or missing a vital part. The Randor situation left him with a destroyed right arm and a damaged left. The other sorties ranged from a jettisoned weapon, a damaged battroid head, or an emptied fuel gauge. Though, she pictured the Valkyries as girls when Makina explained it, shivering over the thought.

"But Mesamesa's Sieggy is like a girl who's had her beauty sleep, skin as beautiful as a newborn," Makina continued, forcing Ruby's imagery to Messer's VF-31. She knew that it has always come back without a scratch, even after the recent skirmishes against the White Knight. Again, the thought of the Valkyries as girls made her shiver thanks to Makina.

"Uh-huh," she heard Chuck mutter out as the picture was in his head, obviously due to him being drunk.

"Plus, his piloting puts minimal stress on the machine," Makina added in, shocking the Ragnan while Hayate stood up, walking out to the balcony with Freyja. Ruby's gaze was kept on them as they took in the cold breeze and cooled their heads, wondering about what they're going through. Her gaze was joined by the others as both of them breathed out.

"The way he flies gets to me," the male of the duo started.

"I know," Freyja spoke up. "I end up looking at her even when I'm dancing next to her."

"It's driving me crazy, but you know…"

"Yeah. I'm not going to lose."

"Tomorrow's training…"

"I'll show her!"

"Are you both serious," Ruby questioned the two of them, baffled by their attitudes.

"Makes you think they were separated at birth," Reina commented, making Ruby laugh as the two looked back at them. To her, the way they acted was too similar to that of Nora back on Remnant; only they are not as crazy as the hammer wielding girl back home. She made a mental note to call her friends and see what they were up to after the war against Windermere is over.

As the group continued to converse a bit more as the hours passed, the amount of people leaving the restaurant told her that the busy hours have ended, allowing Yang and the Mustang family to finally relax after a hard day of keeping up with orders. Chuck thought it was time to quit drinking for the night and go help out his family, joined by Hayate to help even out the male/female ratio in the cleanup category. Ruby had no problem leaving them to help Yang out in the building as she left with Makina and Reina, sorting out her ideas.

"Ruru," she looked over to see Makina smiling. "We have some really good news. Our little 'project' is ready for the next encounter."

"Really," she asked, shocked and excited at the same time. "Thanks, Makimaki. I knew I could count on you."

"Of course you would. You're talking to the genius of the VF-31 _Siegfrieds_ , so anything needed for them are in my arsenal."

"Nice." She then thought for a moment. "What about the other parts?"

"Project 'YELLOW' is closer to completion, though Yang keeps roughing up her Valkyrie for us to implement it. Project 'BLACK' is almost done. It just needs a few test simulations before we can issue it for Blake. As for Project 'White…'" Makina paused to look at Reina and Ruby. "…it just started on the testing stages right now. As soon as those are complete, they'll be ready for your team's Valkyries."

"The Aerial Knights wouldn't expect them," the hacker added in. "I can already imagine their faces."

The young girl of the group couldn't help but smile over what Reina said, already picturing an encounter with the Aerial Knights in their Draken III's. The image depicted the SV-262s barely dodging a Valkyrie sized sniper scythe based on her Crescent Rose, making her giggle in the slightest. She kept it up as they reached the dorm building, calming down as she separated from the two Walkure singers.

Entering her shared room, she breathed a sigh of relief as she sat down on the bed, still thinking about the project she worked with Makina behind her team's backs. Shaking her head and knowing they'll trust her, she went and grabbed a pair of pajamas waiting for her, changing out of her clothing and into her sleepwear. Yawning, she walked back to her own bed, laying down in it to let sleep take over her.

Dreams then entered her mind as her eyes closed, showing her the memories of when she was back home. She smiled over the memory of when her team one the 'food fight massacre' against JNPR, shedding a tear due to Pyrrha being present there. Her memories then shifted to when she was a little girl, running happily to a white cloaked woman and embracing her in a hug, telling her that she loved her. She was abruptly awoken as the dorm room slightly opened, glancing over to see Makina in her pajamas.

"Ruru," she said in a tired voice. "You mind if I sleep with you? Reina won't let me rest with her tech lighting up the room."

She only nodded to her, falling back to the bed's embrace as the pink haired girl slipped into the blankets, hugging her from behind as she slept. She felt warmth coming from the singer as her slumber slowly came to her, smiling as it reminds her of when Yang doing the same thing Makina was doing. Eventually, her mind drifted off with Makina's as the two fell into a deep slumber, while unknown to them, Weiss stood at the doorway, looking down as she blushed.

* * *

Ionedeth, one of the many desert planets residing in the Globular cluster, had nothing going on other than the usual business runnings between corporations. The N.U.N.S. garrison forces stationed in orbit around the planet, consisting of assault carriers and a large army of VF-171 _Nightmares_ , all waited in anticipation for an encounter with Windermere and the Var Syndrome, claiming it's to avenge their fallen comrades and those under Windermerean control. None of them would have anticipated that it would have come to them a lot sooner.

At first, everything was going according to schedule as some of the pilots and crewmembers suddenly announced that they heard a song. The others only played it off as some sort of joke until the ones that spoke about it started to react. The next thing they knew, their very own comrades have begun to attack their own, making the N.U.N.S. forces realized that they are now under Var control.

Minutes have then turned into hours, as most of the N.U.N.S. fleets have been roughly decimated by their own forces. Pilots that have not been affected by the Var continued to struggle as they were forced to fight their own men and women, people who swore to defend the colonies with their lives. Such a battle has left those that remained in constant panic as their numbers were rapidly decreasing. Once such pilot had to switch over into Gerwalk mode and gunned down the VF-171 chasing him, killing a former ally as he tried to regain his breath.

" _We lost contact with squadron 78 as well_ ," he heard his fellow pilot speak out on the comms, seeing his face on display. " _They must've fallen under mind control—_ "

The young pilot never finished his statement as his Valkyrie was destroyed by the Var N.U.N.S., leaving the senior in shock as he spoke up. "Why… Why do we have to fight and kill our comrades?" His alarms then came on as he looked up in the astral horizon, seeing the sight of the SV-262 Draken IIIs flying in. "Those… Those are the Aerial Knights."

Keith, smirking as his forces had arrived in the battle between the Var Infected and the remaining N.U.N.S. forces, had his group move and engage the pilots fighting back. He waited for the moment when his two chosen rivals would appear, since they were the only ones capable of matching his wind. Until they arrived, he'll have to settle with the N.U.N.S. pilots free from the Var control.

The senior pilot sent a relay to call over any VF-171s unaffected by the mind control, shocked to see that only a small division had survived the initial onslaught. Looking over and adding himself, only six _Nightmares_ were the only ones currently free from the Var Syndrome shaking his head as the Var N.U.N.S. got closer to his forces along with two Drakens without the Aerial Knights' color scheme. He could only make a silent prayer, hoping some form of salvation would come to save him and the remaining N.U.N.S. pilots.

As if his prayers were heard, reactive bullets came downward, impacting the Var controlled VF-171s and scattering the Windermerean planes away from the N.U.N.S. survivors. Hearing it, he opened his eyes to see the White Rose fly and save them, directing the enemy away from them. He mentally thanked the pilot as she led them farther into the asteroid fields, gunning down the Var Infected and avoiding the Drakens' barrage of bullets.

" _To all surviving N.U.N.S. forces in Ionedeth_ ," he heard the voice of a young woman in the comms. " _Evacuate the area immediately. I'll keep the Var and the Windermereans at bay._ "

"Wha…" He only whispered as he was one of the only ones who heard the White Rose, looking out to see the battle continuing. The VF-25 she piloted continued to dodge the bullets coming from the Var Infected, firing the gun pod to take out some of her pursuers. She then took notice of the missiles launched from the SV-262s pursuing her, only to lock on to them and shooting the explosives down.

Shifting over into Battroid mode, she began to target any incoming Var controlled VF-171s flying towards her, only to grunt as one of the Drakens managed to shoot down her own weapon. Smirking, she flew over towards one of the _Nightmares_ , waiting for it to shift into Battroid before kicking it away, grabbing its rifle before shooting down the Windermerean fighter, destroying the machine. Looking back, she saw the surviving N.U.N.S. forces fly off to safety before looking back to the battle, shifting back to fighter mode and began to fight her battle.

Watching from afar, Keith was shocked as to how a lone human Valkyrie, a model unlike the VF-171s or his rivals VF-31 _Siegfrieds_ , managed to best not only the Var N.U.N.S. forces, but his fellow knights of Windermere. Looking at the way it flies, he can't help but be amazed as the wind went into its favor against his forces. In a way, it reminded him of both the Grim Reaper and the Belladonna fighters, the only Valkyries capable of competing with his wind.

Destroying another VF-171 controlled by the Var, the White Rose immediately picked up a fold signature coming far from the battle, looking over the horizon. Going wide eyed, she caught the glimpse of a fold gate opening, taking in the sight of the _Aether_ coming out of it, knowing that Ruby and the Delta Platoon had shown up to quell the Var their way. Smiling, she continued her battle as the fold gate behind the aircraft carrier closed.

" _Var Syndrome detected in the orbit of Ionedeth_ ," The voice of Ernest echoed in the halls of the aircraft carrier as the pilots scrambled to their Valkyries, with Ruby rushing over to her _Siegfried_ fighter and entering its cockpit. She heard the hectic voices of the mechanics as she worked on getting her Valkyrie primed for the battle ahead of her, looking over to see a small pair of glasses for her. Knowing it as Makina's work, she grabbed the pair before putting it on, seeing her team doing the same thing.

"Third Lt.," she looked over to see Guy shouting out to her. "Project 'RED' is primed and ready for use, just for you."

"Everything set to go," she asked him, getting a nod in return as he smiled.

"Show those Windermerean bastards a true Reaper, Rose."

"You got it." She then high fived the man before the cockpit closed, hearing the mechanics as they begin to install a large, compact box on top of her fighter. Knowing it as Project 'RED,' a project she started with Makina before Blake's test against Yang that occurred months before. Seeing the glasses light up in her eyes, she was able to see the full schematics and workings of the new addition, grasping the controls of her VF-31 while looking at the others.

" _Protection units attached._ "

" _MMP booster packs installed._ "

" _As of right now,_ " They heard the Zentradi captain speak through the intercoms. " _Almost 70% of the N.U.N.S. pilots have already fallen under mind control, and we also have a guest appearance by the Aerial Knights. Those that survived owed their lives to the White Rose Valkyrie who, even now, is engaging the Var and Windermerean Forces._ " He then went over the plans as the Delta Platoon Valkyries moved outside. " _Both Alpha and Beta Platoons are to defend point Charlie. The Delta Platoon will head for point Echo._ "

" _All Delta Platoon units on launch catapults_ "

"Deltas 5 to 9," Arad called out to Hayate and Team RWBY. "This is your first space battle. A dogfight out here is a different beast. Also, pay attention not to run out of propellant."

"Roger," Hayate acknowledged, looking over to see Mirage. "Let's do this, Mirage. Show the Grim Reaper what we're made of."

She nodded to him, looking forward in front of her. "You can count on me."

As all nine Valkyries of the Delta Platoon waited for the go signal, the _Aether_ opened another port behind them, revealing a domed stage with the five singers of Walkure present. Dozens of explosions rocked the battlefield in front of them as the battle between the Aerial Knights and the remainder of the N.U.N.S. forces, making the girls smile as they let out their catchphrases. They all ended as they announced to the Var to listen to them, adding along with who they were.

As Walkure finished their anouncement, all nine Valkyries of the Delta Platoon launched as the familiar song **Walkure Attack** began to play. Both Ruby and Weiss were at awe as to how they recognized the song, remembering it as the song that quelled the Var back on Mistral. Nodding with each other, they both continued to fly towards the scene of the battle, where the Var controlled N.U.N.S. forces and the Windermerean Aerial Knights waited for them.

"Delta Platoon, Engage," Arad commanded them as the Valkyries launched their Cygnus drones, emitting holograms of the singers on the asteroids. The VF-171s, under the control of the Var, stopped and turned around to view them, wondering how a song is transmitting to them. With them distracted, The VF-31 fighters took the initiative and opened fire, dismantling the N.U.N.S. planes of their weapons.

"Got you," Chuck shouted as his Valkyrie sprouted arms before gunning down a distracted Var _Nightmare_ , taking out its leg and gun pod. "Alright."

He left his guard down as another VF-171 opened fire on him, forcing his Valkyrie to complete the Gerwalk mode transformation before flying off, with the opposing plane following him. Arad, floating upwards before shifting into Battroid mode, gave chase to the two fighters, grabbing two kukris into its hands as it glowed a bright green. As he made it, he immediately cut off the VF-171's legs and rifle, looking back to avoid reactive bullets and opened fire upon another Var infected fighter. The bullets impacted the Valkyrie's body, severing the left leg off and destroying its weapon.

" _Windermereans incoming from above,_ " he heard his subordinate, looking up to see six bright lights flying downwards, knowing the Aerial Knights were after them.

"Here they come," He commented on them.

"And with him," Blake spoke up as she destroyed an opposing VF-171.

"The White Knight," Messer added in, seeing the familiar sight of the gold trimmed SV-262 Draken III approaching.

"Belladonna," Keith smirked as he saw his rivals, closing in on them. "And the Grim Reaper."

Ruby, taking notice of a large asteroid coming up in front of her, smirked as she shifted her _Siegfried_ into Gerwalk Mode, grabbing the compact box on its back as it transformed into the familiar shape of a sniper rifle. Taking aim, she noticed most of the Var controlled _Nightmares_ clustered together as they fired upon Yang's fighter. Licking her lips, she set her sights on the mech's gun pods and opened fire, satisfied as the bullet went through and destroyed most of the weapons.

Yang watched at awe as her little sister began to pick off any of the Var resistance, seeing the sniper rounds effectively taking out the wings and the rifles belonging to the _Nightmares_. She then got worried as a VF-171 got closer to Ruby without her knowing, but just as she was about to fly over, reactive bullets impacted the machine, destroying it. She looked slightly upwards to see the VF-25 in Gerwalk mode, covering Ruby and shocking her with the emblem.

"A white rose emblem… and it looks like Ruby's," Yang whispered to herself, before getting the attention of an Aerial Knight. Shifting over to Battroid, she got into a combat stance as it drew near, waiting for the right time to strike. As it got right in front of her, she took the chance and delivered a few well-placed punches on the Draken, removing the drones off of it before gunning them down, destroying them.

She then looked back and went wide eyed over her sister's teamwork with the White Rose, watching it launch missiles to put the _Nightmares_ in a daze before Ruby closed in on it, separating the cockpit from the plane with a scythe. Realizing that it was what she worked on with Makina, she couldn't help but smirk over the possibility of her own fighter. Her thoughts were silenced as the Aerial Knight whose drones she took down opened fire on her _Siegfried_ , forcing her to use the asteroids to keep him off.

Looking back at Ruby, she had noticed that the White Rose and her sister kept gunning down the Var Infected as they got closer to them. Shaking her head, she shifted over into Gerwalk mode and flew towards the two Valkyries, shifting back into Battroid mode in time to kick a VF-171 fighter away from Ruby. She sighed in relief as her sister was safe for the moment, only to tense up as the White Rose aimed at her.

"Wait, I'm not a Var In—" She never finished as bullets ran right passed her, making her see that the Aerial Knight that pursued her was taken out before the machine was destroyed. She then looked back to see the VF-25 nod to her, saying that she was safe for now. Sighing heavily, she watched as both VF-25 and VF-31 fighters shifted into Fighter mode, picking off any Var controlled machines in their way.

While Yang shifted over into Fighter mode to pick off her side of stragglers, Hayate had a struggle of his own. Not used to flying in outer space like his comrades, he struggled to strafe out of the way as a Var controlled VF-171 continued to fire upon him. His control of the _Siegfried_ unfortunately caused him to scrape an asteroid with one of the boosters attached to the wing, making him lose control of the machine. As his Valkyrie drifted slightly afterwards, he didn't notice the Var N.U.N.S. fighter close in on him with its rifle primed.

"DELTA 5," Mirage shouted out, causing Hayate to snap out of his stupor before shifting into Battroid mode, avoiding the _Nightmare_ 's rounds before grabbing hold of it by the back. It then began to strangle out of the young man's grip, only for the head mounted cannon on the VF-31 to open fire, destroying the N.U.N.S. mech's head as Mirage flew in and sliced the rifle out of it. The gun then detonated as the VF-171 drifted off, devoid of offensive power as the two pilots gave each other a thumbs up before looking up, seeing the sight of two VF-31s fighting one SV-262.

"Blake, Messer…" Hayate started as he saw them. "…and the White Knight?"

Far from Hayate's sight, only visible to him as a trio of bright lights, Both Messer and Blake continued their barrage of attacks on the SV-262 Keith was piloting. The Windermerean could only smirk as the two pilots fighting him kept up with his wind once again, even using the asteroids to their strategies. His rune began to glow brightly as he began his chase on both the Grim Reaper and Belladonna Valkyries, 'jumping' from asteroid to asteroid.

"It's time to ride the wind," He spoke to himself as he gave chase to Messer and Blake.

"Incredible," Hayate commented as he saw the battle between them. "They're using the asteroids to jump around… ALRIGHT!"

The young man then moved his Valkyrie towards the conflict between the two VF-31s against the White Knight, only to struggle again as he dodged the asteroids in Battroid mode. He didn't anticipate that the gravity in the field would be strong against him as he narrowly avoided another floating rock, noticing that the lights he was following was too far from him to catch up. He could only groan as the three faraway Valkyries continued their battle, narrowing his eyes as his own _Siegfried_ shook in the asteroid field's gravity hold.

"I can't keep up," he muttered to himself.

"Delta 05, bogeys on your six, from above," He heard Mirage as he looked back, seeing two Drakens firing upon him before switching into Gerwalk mode and avoiding their fire.

"He dodged them," One of the pilots, Theo, spoke up as his twin finished for him.

"Impossible!"

Keeping an eye on his backside, Hayate was glad that the Twins gave up their chase on him for a while until he heard his alarms going off. Looking at the cause, he was shocked as his fighter was on a collision course with an asteroid, projecting a visual of a singing Freyja. Out of instinct, he shifted his Valkyrie back into Battroid before skidding on the rock, leaping off as reactive rounds missed their mark, twisting its body as Theo and Xao's fighters flew by.

"He's dancing…"

"With the Wind?"

His handling with the VF-31 allowed him to distract the twins long enough for Weiss to open fire on them, forcing them to abandon their target and focus on avoiding the ice queen's hail of rounds. He mentally thanked her as he jumped off from one asteroid to another, painting a nearby Var controlled VF-171 a target. Reaching it, he managed to kick the fighter's weapon out of its hand along with separating a leg and pushing it towards the floating rock. Mirage watched in awe as the young man showed off what he could do, only to be saved by a sniper round colliding with another Draken that was behind him, making them look at Ruby's Valkyrie giving off a salute with the White Rose.

As the battle between the Delta Platoon, the Aerial Knights and the Var infected N.U.N.S. forces, the effects of Walkure's song began to take hold on the VF-171 pilots, holding their fire as they all heard the music. One by one, the symptoms of the Var Syndrome began to disappear as the pilots' sense of reasoning came back to them. One Aerial Knight, Bogue, became furious as to what was happening as his Draken flew passed the stationary _Nightmares_.

"This has gone on long enough," He spoke up with venom in his voice, addressing the twins. "Theo, Xao, we're finishing this."

Two screens showing the twins' face popped up beside him, with one speaking out with the other.

"Allow us to show them…"

"…The wrath of the true wind."

Theo and Xao, avoiding fire from Weiss' attacks, managed to shake her off after one of them shot down her _Siegfried_ 's wing, immobilizing her for a time as they flew off to join the red haired Windermerean. Joining together, they all flew into the direction of the _Aether_ , where the singers of Walkure continued to perform to quell the Var Syndrome. They were immediately spotted by Chuck, who got passed by them after fighting off his share of the Var N.U.N.S. forces.

"Ah hell, they got passed us," He spoke up in shock, addressing the other Valkyrie divisions. "Alpha, Beta Platoons, you have enemy incoming."

" _Roger that, Delta. We're on it_ ," was what he heard as a contingent of VF-31 Siegfrieds of the two platoons opened fire upon the Windermereans, launching a barrage of missiles on the three SV-262s. Each of the armed explosives covered the area in front of the Chaos owned fighters, detonating near the Drakens in the hopes of them being taken out. The Aerial Knights, however, came out of the smoke caused by the rockets in Gerwalk mode, firing upon the Valkyries as one of them got closer.

Hayate, upon noticing the danger Walkure is in, began to fly in the direction of the _Aether_ , joined by Ruby and the White Rose as both Alpha and Beta Platoons were wiped out by the Justilla twins. In the confusion, Bogue, grinning like a mad man, launched his own volley of missiles towards the tactical sound unit as the aircraft carrier opened fire. The girls grew fearful as the missiles approached them, with some of them shot down by cannon fire.

"The T-Point barrier," Kaname shouted out as the singers continued to perform the song, only for it to abruptly stop as the remaining missiles came out of the smoke and impacted the dome's barrier system. The girls were fortunate that the barrier system itself took the brunt of the damage, but it left the dome they were in slightly cracked. While regaining their bearings, Freyja managed to stand herself up before looking out, seeing the Draken shift into Battroid mode.

"I found you… TRAITOR," Bogue called out from the machine, aiming its rifle at her.

"T-traitor," she muttered out in shock as the SV-262 was about to fire, only to be kicked out of the way by Hayate. Bogue was shocked that the young man forced him away from his intended target, denying him the satisfaction of killing Walkure. Groaning, he shifted into Gerwalk mode and flew off with Hayate in tow.

"Theo, Xao," the redheaded Windermerean spoke out. "Deal with them."

The twins were just about to take his place in taking out the tactical sound unit, only for Ruby and the White Rose to fly in and opening fire with their gun pods, driving them away. Both VF-31 and VF-25 shifted into Gerwalk mode and kept their fire on the fleeing Drakens. The young reaper then saw Weiss' battered, but still operational Valkyrie give chase to them before looking to the side, seeing a red and gold SV-262 flying in towards them.

Shifting into Battroid mode, she opted to use the arm mounted rifles and opened fire at it, joined by the White Rose as the reactive rounds flew passed it. The pilot, a red headed woman, only looked out and spotted the two firing Valkyries, turning the fighter to face them. The reactive rounds didn't faze her enough as she got closer before firing her own salvo of bullets at the two roses, seeing them dodge her fire with ease as they shifted into Gerwalk mode as well. Strafing left and right as they both avoided each other's rounds, the pilot caught a glimpse of Ruby's emblem, going slightly wide eyed.

"That emblem…" she started, gripping her head before shaking it. "Why… why is it familiar?"

Shaking the thoughts aside, she continued her assault on the two roses as they continued to defend Walkure with their lives, leaving Mirage with the sight of them battling the Draken along with Hayate chasing Bogue. Seeing her fellow pilots continuing to fight against all odds with Windermere, She couldn't help but be amazed with how they're flying. Because of this, she wasn't paying attention to the two incoming Drakens coming from behind her _Siegfried._

"Hayate… Ruby… The White Rose…" she started, getting serious. "I can't fall behi—"

An explosion grabbed her eye immediately as one of the booster packs attached to her wing took damage, forcing her to jettison it as it blew up. Facing her foes, she was shocked to face the Aerial Knight Herman as his SV-262 got closer with another to her fighter. She had already begun to move away from him as the two Windermerean fighters pursued her, with the Aerial Knight guiding the other machine.

"Leutnant Ghoula," the senior Windermerean spoke up to the other pilot. "You have yet to take down an enemy in combat, correct?"

"Hauptmann Herman," the now identified Ghoula said his name.

"I'll corner them for you. Shoot them down."

"Da!" The young pilot then looked forward at Mirage's fighter, runes glowing brightly. "May my rune guide me."

Both fighters continued to push Mirage's fighter as all three of them fired upon each other, with the Windermereans gaining more 'ground.' Groaning, the Jenius pilot sent out a distress signal to all the other members of the Delta Platoon, with Hayate and Ruby picking it up. Distracted, the young rose didn't count on her opponent opening fire on her, only to look back in shock as the White Rose took the hit for her. Reacting quickly, her Valkyrie grabbed hold of the VF-25 as the Draken responsible shifted over into Fighter mode, flying off as the young rose fired the fleeing machine.

Hayate, upon seeing the Delta 04 pilot in trouble, immediate began to fly over to help help as she struggled against the two Drakens. The one piloted by Herman immediately destroyed her laser cannon, earning a glare from Mirage as he signalled the young Ghoula to open fire. He immediately nodded before looking at the VF-31, sprouting the hidden weapons in his fighter's arms before firing a barrage of bullets at her.

"Damn, I'm too far away," Hayate commented as he saw his senior officer block the shots with the barrier system before alarms popped up, making him look at the console. "What… out of propellant?"

He then began to notice that the barrier system on Mirage's fighter was about to fail on her, focusing his sights on the Draken responsible for damaging her Valkyrie. Shouting out her name, he pressed the trigger down as his _Siegfried_ opened fire on the SV-262 in front of hers. Herman, feeling his runes glowed as he looked to the side, watched as the bullets impacted the fighter he was overlooking. When he saw Ghoula pop out of the cockpit as the Draken took too much damage, he moved as fast as he could, only to fail as the machine exploded, killing him.

Hayate went wide eyed as he saw what he had done, as the Draken that reached out was forced to back off before shifting into Fighter mode, flying away as his VF-31 drifted till it reached Mirage. She couldn't help but feel bad for the young man as he had killed for the first time since the war started. Never in her life would she see the man that disables machines as he danced in the battlefield kill to save her life.

While she slowly reached and took hold of his fighter before flying off towards the _Aether_ , the battle between Blake, Messer and the White Knight kept going in the asteroids. Keith, smirking as his foes' skills even matched his own in outer space, kept the pressure on the two Valkyries while avoiding their bullets. He kept up the motion until the screen popped up beside him, Displaying Lloyd's face as he continued his battle.

" _Star Master to all Knights,_ " the chancellor started, earning a glare from the blonde. " _That will suffice. Return to the Branch._ "

"Not yet," the White Knight argued. "We'll annihilate them all."

" _His Highness wishes for no unnecessary sacrifices. Do you intend on opposing his will_?"

Annoyed with his choice in words, Keith immediately chose to pull out and follow the orders given to him, using the drones attached to his fighter to guide his plane upwards as he flew away. Both the Grim Reaper and the faunas looked up in surprise as their opponent made the notion to fly way, joined by the remaining Aerial Knights that survived the conflict. As the Windermereans disappeared into the horizon, both _Siegfried_ pilots decided to fly back to the aircraft carrier, followed by the rest of the Delta Platoon with Ruby being the last, carrying the damaged VF-25 _Messiah_ into the base.

* * *

Days after the Ionedeth incident, Yang, after hitting the gym built in the _Elysion_ , thought it was a good idea to wonder around the Chaos base. She could already tell something has been building up between the members of both the Delta Platoon and Walkure, but most of her thoughts have drifted off to Blake. Sighing, she believed that she was with Messer again or at the Ragnyannyan restaurant fighting against the Mercat, smirking as she had the day off given from Chuck.

Reaching outside on top of the _Aether_ , she was about to take a fresh air before glancing over, hiding away as she saw Mirage standing behind a thinking Hayate. Having a hunch, she believed that the Jenius was there to comfort the young man over what he did back on their assignment. Peeking just a bit, she could see the young man sitting over the edge, gathering his own thoughts.

"Thanks," she heard Mirage starting. "You saved me." A moment of silence was all she got before starting up again. "The first time I killed someone… was a year after I joined N.U.N.S. We were fighting rebels… who'd taken over an island class ship. I thought I was fully prepared, but I don't think I'll ever get over it. I just learned how to pretend it didn't affect me."

"Is that what Blake went through," Yang asked herself before continuing to listen in on the two.

"I'm sure… I'm sure everyone deals with the same issue. They just don't let it show. The commander… First Lt. Messer… Even Chuck too… Every kill is a new burden. I… I think it's our cross to bear as soldiers. And if carrying that burden means we protected someone's happiness… then I'd say it was worth the price."

"Thank you…" Hayate finally spoke up as he stood up, looking at her. "Instructor." He saw her look down, smiling before he continued. "I knew the time would come eventually. An you, the commander, and Chuck… even Messer, everyone's fighting with their live on the line. The girls of Walkure suppress the Var with their songs. At first I couldn't believe it, but they, too, are risking their lives for this." He then cracked his fingers before reaching up, slicking his hair a bit. "I won't back down."

Mirage could only smile, nodding as she spoke up. "Same here."

"What was that?"

"I didn't say anything."

The Blonde, smiling, could only nod over what they said, glad that they worked out their feelings. Walking back inside, she already saw Freyja doing the same thing she did, only with her hand over her chest. She could only sigh as she pictured a love triangle between the three of them. Shaking her thoughts, she made her way inside, leaving the young Windermerean to sort out her feelings.

Gazing over the interior of the Macross fortress, she could only smile as she remembered the events leading to RWBY being part of the Delta Platoon. She then remembered what Ruby did back in Ionedeth's orbit, wielding a Valkyrie sized Crescent Rose. Remembering that her own weapon, along with Weiss' and Blake's, were also being used for a design for their own VF-31 fighters, it made her believe that Ruby had planned this at the very start even before their first job on Al Shahal.

Her thoughts were immediately dashed as she saw the doors to the infirmary open up, revealing the pilot of the White Rose Valkyrie walking out. She went wide eyed as she caught the glimpse of her hair, being long black with red streaks at the tips. She then saw a brief sight of the woman's eyes being silver before she pulled out her shades, putting them on before covering her hair with the white hoodie underneath the S.M.S. jacket. She then shook her head as the woman made her way out, chasing her before grabbing her shoulder.

"Wait a minute," she started up, seeing the woman tense up. "That hair of yours… it looked to similar to Ruby's to be a coincidence. And those eyes of yours… You could easily pass as an older Ruby Rose right now. But you can't fool me, can you?" She saw the woman tilt her head, imagining her eyes being wide before continuing. "Tell me… Just who are you…?"

The woman was shocked to hear that Yang saw what she looked like, mentally breathing heavily over what to say. Thousands of scenarios played out in her mind as she saw the blonde's eyes flash red briefly, remembering her of a certain woman from her old team. Sighing, she turned her head back straight to gather the last of her bearings.

"You were always too good, you know that," she spoke up, shocking Yang as she glanced back again. "It's no surprise to know that you got your mom's keen eye. Nothing can ever get by you."

"Wait," the blonde stuttered, moving back. "You knew mom? Who are you?"

"That's a real good question, isn't it?" She then took off her hoodie before reaching out for her glasses. "Make me a promise, will you?" She saw the blonde going wide eyed. "Whatever happens here… can't be told to Ruby, is that clear?"

"What… Ruby?"

"Yeah…" She then took off her glasses before looking at her, silver meeting lilac. "But still… it's been a long time, Yang. Ten years too long…"

* * *

 **A/N: DUN DUN DUN… OK… I think I may have rushed that.**

 **So it took slightly longer to work on a chapter than with chapter nine, but I'm happy with how it turned out. So, Yang has figured out the identity of the White Rose, but will she tell Ruby? Who knows? Also, I would like to say that the episode this chapter was based on, episode 6, happened to be my favorite as it featured my favorite song 'Walkure Attack." Also, I have decided to actually add in the Windermerean's comments in the battle, fleshing it out as they're the main antagonists. Anyways, everything came out right for me.**

 **Review Replies:**

 **XY Kid:** _ **Thanks again! Marcus and I, in truth, can't get along well but we share something that we both love FANFICS… and video games of course.  
The new chapter may not be as cheery or action packed but still fun to read.  
I think you really got Ruby's character there, and I believe that her behaviour in this chapter may come close to canon.**_

 **It's great that you two have things in common. And chapters don't always have to be action packed to be interesting, as some chapters can focus on the fluff between characters, seeing the relationships bloom on the way. And yeah, it's getting close to canon with Ruby's attitude, but she'll mature as the story goes.**

 **Guest:** _ **I guess Messer has a soft spot for Ruby, and oh the White Rose flinging the mercat is damn hilarious.**_

 **As of that moment, the White Rose herself is the only one that managed to stop the mercat from stealing the tuna. Not even Chuck, his siblings, Yang or even Blake could manage that.**

 **Wee-0wee-0:** _ **I think we had an idea who the White Rose is and involvement in this chapter is really good and really helpful to Ruby.  
I wait for White Rose to reveal who she is to the gang.**_

 **As of right now, Yang has found out who she is, but the White Rose won't reveal who she is to Ruby just yet. And Yang has to keep the promise to her.**

 **Yuiharime:** _ **Blake is concerned for Messer is really sweet, though I dread for the part where Messer's fate is sealed. Hopefully this fanfic changed that.  
I really only wish one of the Walkure takes interest in Jaune once they meet him. Seriously, Jaune needed someone so he can move on from Pyrrha.**_

 **Eheheheheheheh… Sorry man, but his fate must remain the same. I'm just going to make it darker for the RWBY side as well. And as for Walkure… who would take interest in Jaune? That's what I want to know.**

 **Marcus the Kane:** _ **Man, RWBY vol. 4 really took the dark terms, especially in chapter 2. It was heartwrenching.  
The theme in this chapter is the same, only this time Ruby is alone without Jaune sharing the same feelings.  
But at least the White Rose managed to snap her out of it, really cool.**_

 **Yeah, but I have a feeling that it's going to get darker as it goes on, drawing me in further as the show continues. And yeah, Ruby is practically alone for that moment, but thanks to the White Rose, she managed to get over it and made her decision to fight Windermere.**

 **Tendaysromeo:** _ **A really nice chapter. No action, but the conversation is really important for the story.  
While depressing, there are moments that enlightened the mood, such as Yang scaring the media and the White Rose beating the Mercat.  
And one thing, S-S-She beat the MERCAT!**_

 **PLEASE, QUIT REMINDING ME OF THE 'S-S-S-SHOGUN KAYO.' You're right, as the conversations help develop the relationships between the characters. And Yang didn't just scare the media… She threw one of them out of the restaurant.**

 **ElentiyaViStaadtfeldt:** _ **It's P****a, isn't it?**_

 ***bashes face on the table* YOU FIGURED IT OUT! Well, for one thing, yes it is her, but it isn't her as well. Basically, she is now serving the interests of the Kingdom of Windermere. And don't flip out on me since I censored the name. Can't have the others knowing it right now as to who the next White Knight will be… (though, I think it's kinda pointless now)**

 **I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. What do you think? Leave a Favorite, Follow and/or Review.**

 **With that out of the way, I'm BlazefireDrago, signing out.**


	11. Voldor Infiltration

**Disclaimer: RWBY is owned by Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth Productions while Macross is owned by Shoji Kawamori and Studio Satelight.**

* * *

 _Protoculture._

 _A highly advanced alien race that became the first spacefaring civilization in the Milky Way 500,000 years ago._

 _By manipulating the genes of primitive indigenous life forms, they sowed the seeds that would eventually bloom into the various humanoid cultures of the galaxy._

 _Vestiges of their power can still be found throughout the Milky Way._

* * *

" _We've got new orders from Lady M. We need to investigate the planets occupied by Windermere and find out what they're doing there. Our mission is to infiltrate the occupied planet of Voldor._ _The infiltration teams will be comprised of ten people, while the rest defends the_ Aether _in planetary orbit._ "

" _The teams will be the entirety of Walkure and five pilots of the Delta Platoon. To that end, the escorting members of the sound unit will be left to First Lt. Messer, Second Lt. Mirage, and Sgt. Hayate._ "

That was what Ruby remembered back on Ragna when everyone was briefed on the situation by Ernest and Arad, gazing upon the blue and green planet in her VF-31 _Siegfried._ She left the decision of who will be accompanying the other three Delta pilots, only for Yang and Weiss to choose the option to stay in orbit. While she understood Weiss' claim to gain more experience in outer space, the way Yang told hers made her believe that she was hiding something from her.

Sighing, she looked over to the side to see the shuttle Walkure will be entering the planet in, wondering what they have in mind to get to the surface. Glancing over the Windermere/Var N.U.N.S. garrison fleet, she believed that it would involve some form of cyber warfare, a battlefield Reina was specialized on. Glancing back, she wondered how exactly Reina will get the team there, hoping to get an easy result.

She then wondered about how the White Rose was doing, thinking about when she disappeared days after the Ionedeth Var incident. She was grateful to the mysterious pilot for saving her when she was distracted, but when she went to give her gratitude, the pilot was gone, along with the VF-25 _Messiah._ She knows that she'll see the machine again, waiting for a chance to say her thanks to the White Rose.

Keeping her gaze at the combined fleets occupying the planet in front of her, Ruby reached down beside her, feeling the cold metal of Crescent Rose in the other seat of her Valkyrie. She smiled over the thought of shocking the Windermereans again when she fights them outside of the fighters since she got her weapon back after Project 'RED's' completion. She already thanked Makina for giving it back to her a day after the operation as she patted the compact weapon.

While Ruby was getting familiar with Crescent Rose again, the girls of Walkure looked over the visual hologram of Voldor, gathering around a sitting Reina as the green haired girl mentally prepared herself for her cyber tactics. Freyja stood in awe as she was about to experience the hacker work her magic, keeping her eyes on the projection. She then saw Reina crack her fingers in anticipation as Kaname walked up to them.

"The enemy has deployed an entire fleet and multiple surveillance satellites," the leader informed them, pointing out the Windermerean/Var N.U.N.S fleet, pointing at the mentioned platforms around them.

"Let's own their defense network so we can get through," Makina added in with a smile.

"This is going to be a fun ride," Reina commented, smirking at the challenge presented to her while remembering Remnant's security network, scoffing at how easy it was to hack into that.

"Every door…"

"Is meant to be…" she then high fived her pink haired companion before glancing at the hologram. "Opened!"

Everything around her changed into the familiar sight of cyberspace as her outfit changed into her show uniform, giving her the sight of the endless sea of data. Right in front of her, the defense network of the Windermerean/Var N.U.N.S. garrison fleet took on the form of a large connected barrier, the one thing she expected the most. Smirking, she began her work as she pressed on the digital keys, surrounding herself in the flow of her own work.

Millions of numbers were presented to her as she typed in the prompts, detailing the many individual networks of the ships until she saw the one in charge of the garrison. Smiling, she kept typing in the keys to figure out what it belonged to, classifying it as one of the main Windermerean warships in front of the joint fleet. Getting access, she saw the familiar stream of data coursing around her, moving her eyes as if she was targeting missiles as a Valkyrie pilot.

Getting what she wanted, Reina then flicked her fingers forward, launching a series of viruses towards the defence network. She saw that as her work coursed through the data stream, she can't help but notice the many data mines detonating, depicting themselves as red data spheres. She could only smirk as her virus fluently dodged the placed mines, only to be shocked as the cyberspace turned red, followed by a stream of lasers that destroyed the virus.

Her shock then turned into fear as the cyber defence program opened fire on her, closing her eyes and waiting for the hit to come to her. It never came as Makina dropped in at the right time, deploying a shield that protected herself and the hacker. Looking at each other, they both nodded as formed a W with their fingers, blocking another shot from the Windermerean defence grid.

By a stroke of luck, right after they blocked the cyber-attack, another stream of Reina's virus appeared in front of them, making their way through the lasers in the hopes of opening a gateway for Walkure and the five pilots escorting them. One by one, her programs effectively avoided the shots fired from the defence network, and as they reached for the end, a firewall appeared in front of them, denying access.

Reina, already anticipating a move like that, had already adorned herself with both a cyber helmet and a pair of claws before reaching out, grabbing the firewall by the edge before tearing it down, seeing it disperse into pixels. Freyja was surprised to see how well she managed to break through the defence network, watching her give a thumb down while smiling. She then watched as the virus entered the cyber tunnel once guarded by the firewall, giving them all clearance to fly into Voldor as the defence network collapsed.

"Checkmate," Reina muttered in satisfaction as Kaname got on the comms.

"Reina got us through," She told her pilot escorts, who immediately coated their Valkyries in a jet back coating before launching off the _Aether_ with the shuttle, flying passed the Windermerean/Var N.U.N.S. fleet without being detected. The _Siegfrieds_ lead the shuttle through the planetary orbit, going into re-entry mode as the machines fought against the atmospheric pressure. Once they broke through it, they were now in Voldorian airspace, flying towards a clearing capable of hiding their machines.

Once they all landed on the ground, each of the pilots immediately got out of their VF-31 fighters, grabbing their belongings before meeting up for the next plan. Ruby was the last one to get out, grabbing her weapon as she strapped it on her back. Getting her feet on the ground, she walked over the group around her, nodding at Blake as Walkure came with a bag of disguises. She only tilted her head as Kaname grabbed the chosen clothing, passing them over to everyone present.

When everyone changed into their respective disguises, the young girl couldn't help but notice the fake cat ears on everyone, along with the face paint. Looking at Blake, she was surprised to see her not wearing a pair, smirking as she was an actual cat faunas in hiding. She waited for the chance to show the others as Makina began briefing everyone.

"Alright," the mechanic started. "62% of Voldor's landmass is covered in marshes. A blue and green planet. Its principle exports are lumber, fruits and spring water."

"In other words, zero strategic value," Reina added in.

"We're going to split up into two groups," Kaname joined in. "Makina, Reina, First Lt. Messer, Specialist Blake and I will infiltrate the capital from the south. Mikumo and Freyja will enter from the north with Second Lt. Mirage, Third Lt. Ruby ad Sgt. Hayate."

"Mew got it," Freyja spoke up, acting like a catgirl.

"No cat puns allowed," Mirage scolded her, followed by Blake.

"Yeah, we don't need another Yang for this operation."

"Apawlogies," the young Windermerean said, annoying the cat faunas.

"Now you're just doing that to drive me up the wall—"

"OH. MY. GOD," she heard Makina shout out in joy, going wide eyed. "ReiRei, you're the cutest kitty ever." She then heard her partner hiss at her, nervously laughing at the exchange. "Please don't scratch me."

"Ugh," Hayate muttered as he held up part of his disguise. "I'm allergic to cats, you know."

"Well, Voldorians were originally modified felines," the tactical sound unit leader told him

"Get out if you're just going to complain," Messer spoke up, making them look at the disguised man, cat ears and make up.

While everyone talked about Hayate's allergy announcement, Ruby looked over to Blake to hear her opinion, seeing her putting on the makeup while discarding the cat ear accessory. She mentally giggled over the thought of Blake wearing the ears over where her bow is, aggravating the real pair of cat ears hidden from sight. When she saw the others getting ready to move out, she coughed out to get their attention.

"Wait just a minute," she spoke up, getting some looks from Messer and Hayate. "There's something wrong with this picture."

"What are you talking about, Ruby," Hayate asked her, seeing her smirk.

"Aside from everyone, who isn't wearing their 'full disguise' right now?"

"Well…" Makina walked up to Blake, examining her. "The only one that isn't wearing all of it would be BlaBla… but why?"

"I have only one thing to say about that." She then glanced over at Blake, smirking evilly as the raven haired woman caught on what she meant.

"Ruby, don't you dare. Don't you dare—AHH," was all Blake could let out before the young girl tackled her down to the ground, fighting with her to get the bow off. The group around them stood in wonder as to what Ruby was trying to do, seeing as she is trying to reach the bow that resided on her head. They kept their gazes on the two girls until eventually, Ruby emerged the victor with the untied bow in hand, revealing a pair of cat ears on Blake's head.

Everyone was shocked to learn that Blake herself had natural cat ears on her, making the girl in question look away in fear. She didn't anticipate Makina to kneel down to her level and reach over to her head. She was afraid that she would do something harmful to them, only to feel the mechanic calmly petting the ears. She let out one tiny mew before covering her mouth, hearing her teammate and the pink haired girl giggle before looking at Messer, who calmly looked away.

"Wait a minute…" she started, looking at the group. "You're not mad at me?"

"Why would we be," Kaname calmly told her. "You're still our friend, despite having a pair of cat ears."

"But… I hid them away from you all."

"Yang already told us why," she assured the faunas, smiling. "Besides, with those, you would easily pass as a Voldorian. Not even the Windermereans would think of you as a human while we're here."

"But because of your ears," Makina started up, pouting beside Reina. "You gave ReiRei competition for cutest kitty."

"So please." The red haired singer walked up to her, grasping her hand. "Don't hide who you are."

She thought about what Kaname had said to her, looking at the bow in Ruby's hand in order to make a decision. On the one hand, if she returned to Remnant, she would have to wear it again as discrimination was still high. On the other hand, her friends and family would be beside her at all times, encouraging her. She even included the members of Chaos as part of her family, from the mechanics, Walkure and the Delta Platoon. Making a decision, she walked over to the young reaper, grabbing her bow before putting it away, seeing everyone smile at her choice.

"It was bound to happen, sooner or later," she told herself as she joined up with her infiltration group as they all separated, entering their sides of the main Voldorian city. She faintly heard Hayate complain about how he wasn't reacting to her despite the allergies, making her wonder if she was more human than she thought. She only shook her head as they reached the entranceway of the city, looking at the towering SV-262 Drakens standing guard in Battroid mode.

Entering the city with her team, she was actually surprised to see the main majority of the populace had an extra appendage in the form of cat ears, a tail or both. Some of the architecture of the buildings somewhat resembled the Voldorian nature, whereas the towers and larger structures clearly mimicked human design. She would have loved to come to this planet if it weren't for the Var Syndrome and the Aerial Knights of Windermere taking control of the N.U.N.S. forces here.

She kept her eyes out as she watched the native inhabitants continue their own daily lives, despite being under Windermere's watchful eye. Feeling her ear twitch slightly, she passed a glance over to Kaname, who only turned her head away as a faint blush was visible on her face. She then felt a stare coming from behind her, glancing over to Messer who had his eyes on her ears the whole time. She then blushed herself as she kept her eyes forward, shaking her head and focusing on the job at hand.

"Awww," she heard Makina fawn out over the people. "So many kinds of cat ears. This is the best."

"No signs of any disturbances," Reina commented as they kept walking until Makina spotted something, making the team look over to see two N.U.N.S. guards standing in attention. Thanks to her glasses, the pink haired girl observed the two soldiers far away from them, keeping her eyes narrowed on them. The readings came to her immediately as she zoomed in on them, discovering the high numbers in her lenses.

"Their bio-fold waves are off the charts," she warned them, confirming that the soldiers are now Var as she raised her glasses.

"Kaname, Blake," Messer whispered to them, with them already knowing the plan.

"On it," the sound unit leader spoke out as Blake nodded, extending her nails to resemble claws as the raven haired girl moved into position with Messer. The red head of the group then made her way over towards the Var guards, placing her hands behind her back until she got close to strike. She glanced over to see the two locking their arms, giving the local populace the image of them being a couple. She felt another small pain in her heart over it before shaking her head, smiling as she walked over to the guard, giving him her best smile.

"Um, excuse me," she started, getting his attention as the others began walking towards her. "Can you help tell me where the river bus boards—"

Messer took the time to bump into her as she stumbled on the guard, scratching his hand as the disguised man looked back and lashed out. "Hey, watch where you're going."

"Excuse me," she angrily asked him, knowing its part of the plan. " _Your_ big ass ran into mine."

"What did you say," Blake joined in, glaring at Kaname. "What exactly do you mean about that?"

"I meant his ass pushed me harshly into the guard. What else should I say?"

"Maybe you should apologize to him right now."

"Me? Apologize? I was that one that was pushed. He should be the one to apologize to me."

The guard paid little to no attention to the drama the two girls were going over as he looked over to his hand. Gazing at his back hand, he saw three deep scratches on him, with each letting a small trail of blood. Blake and Messer quickly left as Kaname looked back, shocked over what she had done. She made her apologies over towards the man, but mentally, she was smirking away as she left the two Var controlled guards to meet with her group.

Catching up to the group in an alleyway, she walked over to a waiting Reina, tapping her finger onto the glass scanner the hacker had in her hands. Letting the blood from the guard drip out of the nail on to the scanner, she raised her hand as she grabbed a nearby rag, wiping her hands in it as the hacker did her work. When the results came in, readings popped up in front of the girls and Messer as Reina spoke up.

"Analysis complete."

"As we thought," Kaname started, looking over the readings. "It's detecting Seidznole."

"That's what's causing the Var," the Grim Reaper pilot confirmed, shocking Blake as Kaname looked up to see a Windermerean airship flying overhead.

"We can assume both the army and the police are under mind control."

"Meaning," Blake started up, looking out to the open. "We'll be in for a fight if we're caught."

* * *

While most of the team had it easy, Ruby had found out that Hayate had the worst of it in terms of luck. When they had entered their side of the city, she could only wince out as the young man continued to sneeze out of control due to allergies. While she could understand the reason in terms of the mercat back on Ragna, the fact that he's reacting to the Voldorians near them made her feel sorry for him. Though, she began to think about how he wasn't reacting to Blake, despite her being a cat faunas.

Groaning for the last time, she looked over to her left and saw him sneeze out loud one more time, and before she could speak up, the commotion began to attract the unwanted attention of the local Voldor natives. He began to panic as the people got close to his personal space, each offering remedies for a sickness that he doesn't have at all. Looking over to see Mirage and Freyja busy with observations, she took it upon herself and walked over to him, wrapping her arms around his left arm and smiling at the people.

"I'm so sorry about my friend here," she told them, a small vein popping on her forehead. "He just needs some food to calm down."

"Oh, is he hungry," One of the Voldorians asked her, getting closer to them. "If that's the case, then how about he can—"

"No, that won't be necessary." She then nervously laughed, squeezing his arm with enough force. "We better get going. Can't keep you all away from your lives."

"Well, if you're sure," the other native spoke up before adopting a smile. "Be sure to watch over your boyfriend, OK?"

Ruby and Hayate then deadpanned as they looked at them impassively, with the young reaper speaking up. "No, we're not in a relationship. We're just friends."

Before they could say anything else, Ruby took the opportunity to drag Hayate away from the populace, bringing him over to a nearby alleyway. Seeing the two run off towards it, both Mirage and Freyja couldn't help but wonder what was going on. Nodding to each other, they both made their way over to the alleys, seeing the two pilots sitting down on the ground, out of breath.

"Do I need to know what happened here," the Human/Zentradi pilot asked them. "Or do I have to guess?"

"Hayate's allergies," the young reaper told her, pointing at the young man in question.

"My goodness." She then glared at Hayate. "Can't you even hold back a single sneeze?"

"Easier said than done," he replied back, scratching his nose before leaning straight. "Why are we even doing this infiltration crap? We're pilots, for crying out loud."

"My thoughts exactly. However…" she took a deep breath and quoted Arad. "Experiences help build up the character, don't you think? The deeper a jellyfish has swum, the more delicious it is."

"I just like how he always references jellyfish, even during briefings," Ruby piped up. "Then again, he always has those crispy jellyfish snacks with him."

"Well I, for one, am not a jellyfish," Hayate told them, earning both a glare and a shout from Mirage.

"NEITHER AM I!"

"It's okay," Freyja spoke up between the two pilots, standing up. "Just leave it to me. I've been trained on how to operate behind enemy lines between dance classes."

"Unless you're Blake, I don't know what your definition of stealth is," Ruby told her before seeing her rune pop out of her hair, making the Windermerean singer look around and sniffing the air. "Uh… Freyja?"

"What's wrong," Hayate followed up, only to be ignored as she sniffed around.

"That scent," she finally spoke before smiling, running off to the source. "Rune-Rune, YIPPEE!"

"Hey, wait a minute," Ruby called out, only to be ignored as well. "Jeez, what's gotten into her?"

"I guess you could say, she's the stealthiest of all operations," Hayate smirked as he spoke, hearing Mirage mutter underneath her breath."

"Why does everybody have to be like this?"

The three pilots then decided to follow the disguised Windermerean out of the alleyway, shocking the people as they ran passed them. Despite running, Ruby decided not to use her semblance as it would draw Windermere's forces to them. Seeing the young Freyja, they stopped behind her as she held an apple in her hands, smiling in glee.

"Ahh, this brings back mewmories," she said in bliss as she spun around, looking at the salesman. "Are these Windermerean exdel apples?"

"Oh, you have quite the nose, young lady," the man told her, surprised that she knows the produce.

"Are you telling me that…" Ruby started up, shocking Freyja as Mirage finished for her.

"They're from Windermere?"

"Yeah," he answered her. "Domestic purroduce got restricted, though these aren't so bad. Right miss—"

Everyone then adopted a face of shock as the young girl started to drool out of her mouth, making Mirage go and pay the man for the apple in her hands as well as a few others. All four of them then waved the man goodbye as they left the stall, content with moving on with their assignment. Both Hayate and Ruby could already tell that their senior wasn't too happy with the result of Freyja's antics.

"She really ought to be a bit more careful," she told the two younger pilots, sighing heavily.

"Don't forget, she is younger than us, Mirage," Ruby reminded her, looking over the apple in her hand. "I wish that they had strawberries, though."

"At least we got some Intel," Hayate added in, tossing his apple in the air before catching it and repeating. "That these apples are from Windermere."

"Why would they restrict Voldor's produce, and allow their fruits to be sold instead?"

"And more importantly, how is that useful Intel," Mirage said, unamused about the whole thing before stopping, seeing Freyja standing still.

"Freyja," the young reaper called out.

"I can hear it," was what they heard as Freyja's eyes widened. "This color…"

She then ran off in a hurry once again, leaving the pilots no time to take a break as they chased her once more. They all think that Freyja might go towards another stall to stock up on more Windermerean produce, but those thoughts were dashed as she out of the shopping district. As they got closer to her, they can all hear the sound of a young girl singing far away, making them believe that something had happened to catch the young Windermerean's attention. It was when they stopped beside her that they saw the commotion.

In the trees away from the infiltration team were two Voldorian children, one boy and a girl, standing far from a guarding VF-171 _Nightmare_. The girl, sounding out of breath, was singing Walkure's **GIRAFFE BLUES** at the machine, breaking the girls' hearts as it looked like the machine ignored the sound. Despite all of it, they all continued to watch as the girl continued to sing to the Battroid.

"Such a sad color," Freyja said in sorrow.

"What are they doing," Hayate asked as Ruby made her thoughts.

"That insignia," Mirage commented as she observed the Valkyrie, grabbing her datapad and looking it up. "I knew it. That machine belongs to Captain Alberto Larrazabal, an ace pilot of the N.U.N.S.'s Voldor fleet."

"DAD," they all stopped to hear the boy shout out to the machine. "ANSWER US, DAD!"

"Dad," Hayate muttered in shock, realizing that the kids in the tree were Alberto's son and daughter.

"Oh no…" Ruby whispered, covering her mouth. "They're trying to reach out to him."

"DAD," the boy continued shouting at the _Nightmare._ "THIS IS THE WALKURE SONG THAT MAKES PEOPLE FEEL BETTER, RIGHT? ANSWER US, DAD!"

"Anyone could be infected." The young reaper then thought about what would happen if her father turned into a Var Infected, before glancing over to see a truck pull over beside the VF-171's leg.

" _I-865,_ " the driver contacted the Var pilot. " _The wind is changing. You're shift is over._ "

The Infected Alberto acknowledged the words that came from the truck driver, turning his Valkyrie away from the children before walking out of few. The children were shocked that the song didn't reach out to the ace pilot, and so they called out to him as he left to follow the Windermerean orders. Just from watching the events made Ruby unconsciously tighten her hand into a fist, drawing blood from her nails as her anger towards Windermere's control escalated.

"How could they," she muttered out, shaking. "How could they do this to those children?"

"They have their best pilots doing grunt work," Mirage solemnly said to her. "But to think… those children could never see their father again unless we do something."

"This is so wrong," Hayate added in, feeling sorry for the kids.

"We'll get them back for this." The young reaper looked over and gazed at her two fellow pilots. "We'll stop Windermere from shattering more families."

"It's a lie," they turned to see the girl speaking out. "I knew some stupid song wouldn't heal him."

"But it's not…" Freyja whispered, shocked to hear the girl say that. "Walkure's songs can."

She then ran off once more to prove her point to the kids, running down the wooden stairs as the pilots looked in shock. Before she could even register, she felt her body struggle as a hand covered her mouth, preventing her from screaming out to the pilots. She was then pulled away over to the base of a nearby tree before being pushed onto the trunk, seeing the perpetrator place an arm by her face. It didn't take long to hear the sounds of guns getting ready, seeing Mirage aiming her pistol while Ruby had her Crescent Rose in hand.

"Freyja, are you alright," Ruby called out to her, eyeing the culprit through her scope.

"Let go of her," Mirage ordered the person, who could only sigh in annoyance.

"You are so useless," she said to Freyja, catching her with a familiar voice to the Windermerean as the young girl looked in shock before taking off her hood, revealing herself to be Mikumo as she looked at the pilots. "Do you have time to spare?"

"Mikumo," the three pilots spoke out in shock, with Mirage closing the distance between her and the mysterious venus. "Where have you been all this time—"

She stopped in front of the woman as the lead singer showed the group something out of an ordinary: a small cicada bug. As they observed it, the young Ruby could clearly point out that it was no ordinary insect, but a man-made micro-drone capable of transmitting video footage to the group. Her observations were correct when Mikumo explained it to the other pilots, showing a live feed from the drone in her hand as the screen displayed Hayate.

She then told them that already, more cicada-shaped micro-drones have already been installed at a suspected Voldorian government building, letting them know that a meeting between Voldor and Windermere representatives would occur. Ushering them to sit beside her, they all gathered together as the displayed multiple screens, with one of them in the meeting hall. It was in that one where they caught the glimpse of a Voldorian Elder and the Windermere chancellor, Lloyd Brehm himself, shocking Freyja as she watches the meeting go on.

" _Integration into the N.U.G. wasn't all that bad either,_ " they listened to the elder speak to the Windermerean. " _Their bases gave us jobs and technology._ "

" _Buying locals like that is how they do things, elder,_ " Lloyd objected, showing his distaste for the New United Government.

" _Still, aren't your demands a bit too much? Even to declare war, no less…_ "

" _I'm aware, but we don't have much time._ "

The Elder then raised an eyebrow to the statement before continuing. " _If I recall correctly, the average life span of Windermereans is about thirty years. Am I correct on the matter?_ "

The Windermerean lowered his head as the light reflected off his glasses, covering his eyes. " _Yes._ "

" _Very well,_ " The elder conceded, standing up and making his way over to the overview. " _We'll behave. Windermereans like to blow up friends and foes indiscriminately… using dimensional weapons._ "

"Dimensional weapons," Freyja asked as the elder glanced at Lloyd.

" _I can only hope you haven't brought one of those here._ "

" _Oh please,_ " The Windermerean dismissed, keeping an eye on the old Voldorian as he continued to question.

" _Then what exactly are you doing at the ruins_?"

" _Just academic research._ "

" _Ahh._ " The Elder then turned around to face him completely. " _I forgot you were a scientist as well. I have read your papers on the Protoculture. 'The last humanoid races the dying Protoculture gave birth to were the ones here in the Brisingr Cluster. Therefore we are, by all means, the rightful heirs of the Protoculture.' Or so I recall. Do you really believe those words?_ "

Lloyd could only stand up and bow to the elder as his escort, a red haired woman wearing sunglasses and adorning the Aerial Knight uniform approached him. " _The key to that answer may lie in those very ruins._ "

"Ruins," both Mirage and Ruby asked at the same time as the meeting ended, letting Mikumo bring up another display of both Kaname and Blake.

" _I found it,_ " the singer spoke up first, looking over at the side as a display of odd looking buildings came up. " _The Paraganal ruins. It seems to have once belonged to the Protoculture. The Voldorians consider it a holy place, but the Windermereans locked it down and built some kind of facility there._ "

"Do you think that Windermere has a Dimensional weapon there," Ruby asked the sound unit's leader.

" _We can't dismiss the possibility._ "

" _Another thing came to mind,_ " Blake spoke up to the group. " _When I heard the word 'Protoculture,' I began to remember some of the White Fang speak about ancient murals back home on Remnant, underneath the surface of Menagerie. They sent a research group back when they did protests, and they discovered something that depicted an ancient race creating humanoids on the planet. When I saw it, I knew it referred to the faunas, and that the ancient race was in fact the Protoculture._ "

"Why bring that up, Blake," Mirage asked her, more curious than ever.

" _I think that Remnant was intended to be connected to the rest of the cluster, but for some reason, we lacked the means to._ "

"The Grimm made sure of that," Ruby added in. "But we can worry about that later. Right now, we have a more pressing matter to talk over."

"Roger," Mikumo agreed with the young reaper, closing her eyes as she smiled. "Let's meet up."

* * *

Walking out of the government building where the meeting was held with his security guard, the Windermerean chancellor made out the three figures by the car to be Keith and the twins Theo and Xiao. Lloyd knows that with the White Knight near his vehicle, he was going to hear about a form of breach left behind in orbit. Nodding to his escort, he made his way over to the blonde pilot, waiting to hear what he had to say.

"Intruders," the pilot spoke up in a calm manner. "It seems our air defense lines have been hacked."

"I see," the chancellor replied back, sensing the woman tense slightly and making him look at her. "Gale, be a dear and stay by my side. Keith and the Aerial Knights will handle it themselves." He received a nod from her as he looked back at the White Knight. "No doubt they'll go towards the ruins. Have the forces ready."

"If I may." Keith then glared at the woman before gazing at Lloyd. "Why must you bring the girl with us, if she's connected to the Earthlings? She could turn on us at any moment—"

"There is no need to worry. I have made absolutely sure to take measures to prevent that from happening." He then adjusted his glasses. "As of right now, the only memory she has was that she was murdered in cold blood as an Earthling, showing her the cold truth. All other memories have been suppressed. All you need to know is that she's putting her loyalty towards Windermere's cause."

He then looked up in the sky to spot a small cicada beetle fly off in the sky, already knowing that it was a micro-drone going back to its owners. With a flick of his fingers, both Lloyd and Gale got inside the vehicle as the twins closed the doors behind them. The vehicle then drove off away from the Aerial Knights, with Keith giving off one last glare at the retreating car.

"Despite you being born as one of us," he spoke to himself, mentally speaking to Gale. "I will never accept you as a Windermerean."

* * *

When everyone got back together near the base of the Paraganal ruins, Blake wasted no time in wiping off the make-up that considered her a native Voldorian. Glancing over to seeing Makina congratulating Mikumo, her ears twitched to the sound of footprints, making her look over towards the young Ruby. She gave her a slight glare over what she did, but mentally thanked her for helping her realize that she no longer needed the bow.

Glancing back at Kaname, she can already tell that even through the act she played back with the Var infected guard, there was some venom in her voice that felt unwelcome to her. Thinking back, she believed that it all started from when she first started to interact with the Grim Reaper pilot. Going further down, she began to understand her own feelings towards the Delta 02 pilot, and how Kaname has been acting lately. She realized that she also has feelings for the man, making her look down briefly before shaking her head, focusing on the objectives.

"So Blake," she turned to face Ruby, listening to the young girl. "I guess your side had it easy, huh?"

"What do you mean, Ruby," she asked the young girl, seeing her pointing at Hayate with her thumb. "Oh no, was he annoying you with snide comments again?"

"First off, don't be like Yang." She received a small glare from the little reaper. "Second of all, I was asking because I had to deal with Mr. 'Oh-I-Can't-Control-My-Allergies.' He kept sneezing when we had entered the city."

"Some things just can't be controlled, that easily." She then looked over to Kaname. "I, however, have been doing some thinking."

"Like?"

The raven-haired girl just sighed before continuing. "In terms of how I feel. And before you say anything, I am aware of how much time I have been spending with Messer." She let out another sigh. "To be honest, I think I sorta… fell for him. His dedication to this job has been rubbing off on me."

"I can see that." Ruby crossed her arms as she leaned down on the tree as Blake kept talking.

"However, I think that's starting to throw a wedge between me and Kaname. She's worked with him longer than I have, with her being a singer in Walkure, as well as a senior officer in her way. Then here I am, spending more time with the Grim Reaper than she is."

"What about Yang?"

"I…" she then looked down. "I don't know. Despite being on good terms… I still felt like I failed her."

"We talked about this, Blake." Ruby then got off the tree. "It's all in the past. Now let's focus on the present. Windermere ain't going to beat itself."

Her teammate could only laugh as the reaper began to walk over towards the Makina/Reina combo, allowing her to gather her thoughts a bit more. Her thoughts as of now, while focusing on the mission, couldn't help but wonder towards both her partner Yang and the First Lt. Messer. While she had known the former a lot longer, being her partner from their days at Beacon, she still felt like it was her fault over what happened with the blonde's arm. As for the latter, while she hasn't known him for long, she felt as if she could trust him with her life. Her only concern is the possibility of him turning Var, resulting in him turning against the Delta Platoon. She shook her head, knowing that she'll deal with it later.

As the group made their way over to the site of the ruins, the girls were greeted with the sight of an electric fence surrounding the facility. For the team of Makina and Reina, their minds began to mentally play **ジリチック** **BEGINNER** as a swarm of surveillance drones float over the obstacle. Acting quickly, the duo began to scan each of the drones, followed by Reina's hacking the controls and Makina motioning them away from the fence, granting them access to it.

The R and B of RWBY, along with Hayate and Freyja, watched in awe as the two singers made their way over to the fence before following them in the compound, entering through a bunny shaped hole in the fence. Getting further to them, they saw the two girls working on a way to bypass the security entrance of the facility, eyeing them as their gadgets scanned the lock. When it finished, it transferred data over to the device in Makina's hand, seeing it open to form a key. With it, she unlocked the entranceway of the complex, using those skills to go through any more doors in the way.

"Holy moly," Freyja commented as another passage was opened to them.

"They're in perfect sync," Hayate added in.

"Tell me about it," Ruby whispered as she got up with Blake.

"It took them a while to get there," Kaname told them as she began to move forward, with Messer following behind. "They didn't used to get along. They'd start fighting the moment they saw each other." She kept going as she saw said two girls setting up a charge on the wall. "Honestly, because of them, we had to cancel a few shows. Water and oil. Mixing, not recommended."

"So basically, the same thing as Ruby and Weiss," Blake told her, seeing the young girl stare at her in shock. "When those two met, Ruby literally left a crater on the school courtyard thanks to Weiss shaking a bottle of Dust."

"Blake, you meanie," was all that Ruby muttered until she looked at the duo, smiling as they made a W out of their hands as the C4 they planted exploded. When the smoke cleared, the wall that held the explosive collapsed onto the ground in a bunny head shape, giving the group time to enter what appeared to be an underground cavern. Upon closer inspecting, they have noticed a manmade pillar surrounded by a large body of water. It took minutes for them to take in the marvel of the underground caverns as they took their places.

"Who knew there'd be such a huge cave under the ruins," Kaname spoke in awe as she stood still.

"Reina and Makina are taking care of the security programs," Ruby told her, grabbing Crescent Rose and shifting it into a sniper rifle. "That will give us some time to examine the place. And Blake…" She tosses her familiar weapon, Gambol Shroud, to her. "I figured you would need this on the mission."

"Ruby, I—" She spoke out until the young reaper cut her off.

"Don't worry about it. Project 'Black' is currently undergoing simulations back home. Now get ready."

"What exactly is this place," Hayate asked as he walked passed the cat faunas, hearing her weapon change into a pistol as he observed the surroundings. "It's filled with silos." He then walked over to a nearby faucet, turning the knob slightly to watch its contents. "And it's filled with… water?"

"Maybe it's used for cooling the dimensional weapon," Mirage guessed out loud.

"That is, if they did bring one," Ruby added her piece, walking passed her.

"That's not the case," they heard Messer call out, turning to catch a pair of bottles in their hands as the Grim Reaper approached them. "I found them in a container over there. Seems to be just plain drinking water. I've seen it in army facilities before."

"What a letdown," Makina commented, leaning back. "We came all the way here for water."

"Don't you think it's a bit too much," Blake asked her, only for Reina to answer.

"It's water used by the military." She then suddenly had an idea, running over to grab a water bottle before inserting a micro scanner into it, shaking it to get results. "61.4% of Var cases so far have been in the military."

Hayate, after hearing her after taking a sip out of the water, became shocked as he spat it out, looking at it before speaking. "Wait a moment."

"Windermere is using the water from here," Mirage asked, equally shocked over the revelation.

"We can't be too sure yet, Second Lt.," Ruby called out, looking over to the singers as they huddled together to see the results.

"Here's the results," Reina shouted out to the group. "Sodium: 1.1%, Potassium: 0.17%, Voldor bicarbonate: 0.03%. It's just regular water."

"Look at what I found," they all turned around as they heard Freyja, seeing the young Windermerean carrying a supply box full of apples "It looks yummy."

"Galactic apples," Messer commented on them, staring at the fruit. "They must also be for the military. They're cheap, but high on nutrients. Highly convenient."

"Galactic apples… Officially known as Windermere apples," Reina stated out. "It's a little known fact."

"Oh…" Freyja then smiled as she looked at her favorite food, holding an apple in her hand. "So everyone was unknowingly eating Windermerean apples? They're really tasty—" She then saw Makina stick a needle in the apple, getting data out of it while scaring the girl. "What are you doing, Makina?"

"Just a little taste testing," the girl in question answered her before looking over the results. "Polyphenols and vitamin C. It's just an apple."

"Something doesn't make any sense," Blake spoke up. "Over each of our confrontations with the Var, with Ruby's experience in Mistral, the Zentradi back on Al Shahal, and the N.U.N.S. at Randor and Ionedeth, the infected were skilled warriors and military personnel. Looking over the rations, I am seeing nothing but apples and water, things that the military here on Voldor eats. If what Messer said about the Seidznole chemical being the Var catalyst in the military is true, then what could be the very cause?"

Her answer never came to her as alarms began to cry out all over the base, shocking the singers and the pilots and leaving Messer, Blake and Ruby priming their weapons. All over the compound, hordes of Var controlled guards began to rush over to the point of disturbance, armed with their rifles loaded with live ammunition. The group all gathered around, waiting for the Var to arrive, when a familiar voice to Freyja called out.

" _The wind has been disrupted_ ," Bogue's voice echoed around the base. " _I repeat, the wind has been disrupted. Find the intruders and capture them._ " They then heard a malicious chuckle as he let out one more comment. " _Filthy Earthlings._ "

"We have no choice," Kaname called out to everyone. "Makina, Reina, secure out escape route. Everyone else, gather as many samples as you can." She then turned her back as Mirage acknowledged the order, gazing at Messer. "Watch our backs, Messer."

"Roger."

As the alarms continued to roar out, the group began to place both the Voldorian water bottles and Windermerean apples in their respective bags as Makina and Reina worked on a way out. Hayate didn't like the idea of leaving with the idea of taking only food and water, but something began to nag in his mind about why the military only had the two sources of nutrients. He then asked Mirage about the choice, only to be told to hurry. Looking at the water and the apple, an idea began to come into his mind.

"Galactic apples… Windermerean apples," he started out, looking at both Makina and Reina as they worked before remembering Kaname's words. "Impossible combination… dangerous to mix."

"Hayate, what are you thinking," Ruby asked him as he looked over the water and apple in his hands. "Something bothering you?"

"Calling it a hunch, Rubes," He simply told her, looking at Reina again. "Hey Rei, You mind prepping one of those scanners again?"

She simply nodded as he began to open up the water bottle, placing it down briefly before gazing at the Windermerean fruit. Grabbing his knife, he carefully cut out a small piece of apple, grabbing the piece and placing it in the water. He then handed the bottle over to Reina with the cap beside him, seeing her place a scanner into the mixture before closing it and shaking the contents. When the results came in, her face adopted a look of shock as Makina read them out.

"The polyphenols bounded to the Voldorian bicarbonate… wait, I'm detecting a high concentration of Seidznole."

"Way to go, Hayate," Ruby congratulated the young man before looking at Blake. "Guess you have your answers."

"So," Kaname started, thinking out the logical explanation. "If you mix the water from here with Windermerean apples, it creates Seidznole in the body that triggers the Var." She then thought further. "It may be possible for other planets' ruins to have water with similar composition. Windermere artificially spreads the Var using the water and apples, then controls the victims with the Song of the Wind."

"Makes sense if the N.U.N.S. heard the song." The young girl then heard the sound of footprints getting closer, motioning the group to high tail out of the facility. Running ahead of the group, she found a perfect spot to hide briefly before taking her weapon out. Replacing the Dust rounds with stun rounds, she primed her sniper rifle before setting it down; keeping her sight on the halls as Var controlled guards appeared and aimed at each other. She then smirked as she fired the stun rounds on the soldiers, shocking them as they all fell to the bullet's effects before she ran to catch up with the group.

Hallway after hallway, with Messer in front of the group while Ruby handled the backside, Makina continued to lead the group down the escape route that she and Reina made out. So far, they have yet to encounter any more Var N.U.N.S. infantry on their way out, but it still kept the pilots on edge. It was when they reached the halfway point when Freyja stopped, hearing Mikumo singing **GIRAFFE BLUES** farther in the complex.

"Mikumo," the girl questioned out as she stood, causing Mirage, Hayate and Ruby to stop alongside her.

"What are you doing," the young man asked her.

"We have to hurry," Mirage followed up, only to see their way out suddenly close on them, separating them from the others.

"Ruby," Blake called out to the group, running up to the new barrier. "Are you OK?"

"FreFre," Makina called out as well.

"Don't worry about us," they heard the young reaper on the other side. "We'll find another way out."

"Go on ahead," Mirage shouted out after her. "We'll catch up."

"I'm leaving those three in your hands," Messer shouted to the Second Lt. before looking at his group. "Let's move."

With the two groups separated again and moving on their own, the group Messer lead continued their movements on the path Makina made out for an escape while Mirage's group stayed behind. However, they were not alone as both Ruby and Hayate spotted three shadows approaching them, with their appearances belonging to the Aerial Knights. The young man then looked over to the side and found an opening, moving towards the vents on the ground and opening it while the Second and Third Lieutenants aimed their weapons towards the way back.

"Girls," he called out to them, pointing towards his exit. "This way. Hurry."

Nodding to one another, the girls ran over towards the exit and entered it, with Mirage in front, followed by Freyja and Ruby with Hayate behind as he closed it before sliding down. The ducts led them towards another cavern, devoid of any Windermerean or Var N.U.N.S. forces, but Mirage looked over the area with rifle in hand, searching for any threats. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, she gave the all clear to the others, running out into the clearing with Ruby beside her.

It didn't last long for them as searchlights suddenly lit up, coating the three pilots and the Walkure singer into the light. Looking around, they saw that they have fallen into the Aerial Knight's bait. They saw the five Windermereans, members of Keith's elite forces, standing on the catwalks with Theo and Xiao by the entranceway, Bogue walking out of the lit doorway. He then snarled as he saw the group they had captured.

"Look at what we have found," he started, glaring at the infiltration team. "Three N.U.G. dogs… and one Windermerean Traitor."

The girls' expressions were filled with hatred as Herman appeared behind Bogue, causing Mirage to speak out. "The Aerial Knights."

"The enemy," Hayate whispered out.

"Damn," Ruby cursed out, gripping Crescent Rose in her hands. "We fell for it."

* * *

 **A/N: I have finally finished it, after a little over a month to work on the chapter.**

 **So Ruby has now seen the faces of Windermere's main forces under Keith's command, but not the White Knight of Darwent himself. How will she handle the Aerial Knights without the aid of her VF-31** _ **Siegfried**_ **?**

 **So I have added in more mysteries linked to Remnant's history now, and all will be dealt with later on. But now the girls figured out one of the main causes of the Var Syndrome. Looking over it, not only is there the triangle between Ruby, Weiss and Makina, but there is the one between Yang, Blake and Messer, as well as Kaname's growing jealousy towards Blake as well. Do I feel kinda responsible? Yeah, seeing as I'm typing the story, so go ahead and throw bricks at me. But I wanted to see how that jealousy will play out.**

 **Review Replies:**

 **ElentiyaViStaadfeldt:** _ **Yay! First comment for Chappie 10!  
Wow, I just realized that Theo and Xiao are kinda whore-y.  
Even though P***** has only 4-ish paragraphs of appearance in this fic, I can already see her and Gramia as best friends who are kinda in love, but not in love. Do you get what I mean? Also wow Yang found out. Can't wait for the next chappie. **_

**Nice one with the first comment. The reason why you are the first reviewer for chapter 10 is because I see that guest reviews take up to two days for me to see them, whereas people with accounts are posted in a few minutes. I find that kinda weird. You may need to elaborate a bit on how Theo and Xiao are 'whore-y' since I don't understand, but you may be right about P***** and Gramia being like that. In the past before now, I can see them in a relationship. And yeah, Yang would be the first to find out. I hope you would enjoy this chapter.**

 **Yuiharime:** _ **I think you're right. There is no stopping fate once Messer bites the dust. Blake would be devastated but hopefully Yang would be there for her.  
Once he's gone, I hope Sun comes around for her, volume 4's 3rd chapter got me shipping Blake & Sun again.  
And also love the love triangle of Mirage, Hayate and Freyja.**_

 **Yeah, Sun does care about her. However, that is not meant to be. Like I said, things are going to be dark for the RWBY side as well. What will happen, I cannot tell as to avoid future spoilers.**

 **Tendaysromeo:** _**S-S-S-SHOGUN KAYO! Ehem...sorry about that just can't help it.  
The chapter was a lot more action pack and I like that the fight isn't just fixated in Ruby's POV but to everyone as well.  
Love the slight reveal in the end.**_

 **Thank you. I believe that the 'S-S-S-SHOGUN KAYO!' is going to be a regular occurrence. I'm glad that you like the action in the chapter. And while Ruby is my favorite character, I do try to type out the battle in everybody else's point of view. And I had to add in the reveal for Yang at the end, leading to her decision to be in orbit at Voldor. She believes that if she was on the ground with Ruby, she might accidentally slip up and tell her.**

 **Marcus the Kane:** _ **Nice chapter! I wish the last part where White Rose reveal should have come later but it's still good.  
Love the part where Makina & Yang hugging Ruby in her sleep while Weiss looks at them blushing, that cute and hilarious.**_

 **The White Rose will officially reveal herself to the group at a later time. It's just that Yang happened to see her without the hood over her head and the glasses off her face. And Yang didn't actually hug Ruby in her sleep. It's just Makina reminded Ruby of the blonde doing the same thing when they were younger. At least, that's what I think in my head.**

 **Wee-0wee-0:** _**Man, the revelation was a tease! But at least one person knows who she is.  
Great chapter and damn I totally hate the Windermereans(except Freyja of course) I wish their leader kicks the bucket already.**_

 **Uh, which one? Lloyd, the Windermerean that has planned out everything, or Gramia, the King of Windermere? It will happen eventually. Just, not now. And I know, I like to tease. Blame my mother for that trait.  
**

 **XY Kid:** _ **Love the new chapter, the action was terrific, the interactions are good and part where the White Rose revealing who she is splendid.  
You really done good even without an editor you manage to write a good story.**_

 **Why thank you very much. I do try my best when it came to doing the editing myself and trying to get chapters done right away. But with life, video games like Forza and Dead Rising 4 and work, it's kinda hard. But reviews like yours keep me going.**

 **Guest:** _ **You don't think that Windermereans has conquered Planets Mira, Tuchanka, Commonwealth and Aiur as well, do they?**_

 ***deadpans* Aside from Aiur, I have absolutely no idea where those Planets belong to in terms of series, but to answer your question, No. Reason being is that I am focusing on the Macross universe, and those planets aren't a part of it. Gomen'nasai (** **ごめんなさい** **)**

 **I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. What do you think? Leave a Favorite, Follow and/or Review.**

 **With that out of the way, I'm BlazefireDrago, signing out.**

 **P.S. Have a Merry Christmas, Joyous Kwanzaa, and a Happy Hannukah. Simply, Happy Holidays everyone.**


	12. Escape Resonance

**Disclaimer: RWBY is owned by Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth Productions, while Macross is owned by Shoji Kawamori and Studio Satelight.**

* * *

 _ **Previously on Macross RWBY: Delta**_

" _Our mission is to infiltrate the occupied planet of Voldor."_

" _So please, don't hide who you are."_

" _As we thought, it's detecting Seidznole."_

" _That's what triggers the Var."_

" _The last humanoid races the dying Protoculture gave girth to were the ones here in the Brisingr Cluster. Therefore we are, by all means, the rightful heirs of the Protoculture."_

" _Despite you being born as one of us, I'll never accept you as a Windermerean."_

" _Windermere artificially spreads the Var using the water and apples, then controls the victims with the Song of the Wind."_

" _Look at what we have found. Three N.U.G. dogs… and one Windermerean Traitor."_

* * *

Far up in Voldor's orbit, lying in wait in the nearby asteroid field, all that Yang could do right now is waiting for the signal to fly into planet's atmosphere. Despite her wanting to be down on the surface to be with her sister, the discovery she had made back on Ragna had her think otherwise. The discovery being the White Rose Valkyrie pilot's identity, and the promise she had made with her.

She still couldn't believe that the White Rose turned out to be the woman that helped raise her when her own mother left, who somehow managed to look younger than her father Taiyang. However, she remembered how her fighter moved back at Ionedeth, taking the hit that was intended for Ruby from a red and gold SV-262 Draken. Her skills in combat, along with how Ruby was able to pilot a VF-171 on Mistral, made her realize that the woman had unintentionally turned her family into the next generation of pilots. Her thoughts about her continued to go through her mind, including the conversation between her and the White Rose.

" _It can't be…_ " her mind flashed back to the meeting. " _Is that… is that really you?_ "

" _Yes, Yang,_ " the woman answered her, seeing the blonde loosen her grip greatly due to shock. " _I never thought I would see you this grown up. I'm—_ " She then took notice of the prosthetic, going wide eyed. " _Yang, what happened to you?_ "

" _Long story._ " Yang was able to calm down, looking at her arm. " _I guess you're leaving us again, aren't you?_ "

The woman only nodded before motioning Yang to follow her, putting her shades back on and pulling over the hood. " _I'm sorry I had to leave you behind all those years ago, Yang. I would have stayed behind and watched you grow up to be a strong woman. However, before then, I learned of a threat that would have been dragged over to Remnant if I didn't act._ "

" _What do you mean by that,_ " Yang asked her, following the woman over to the hanger where the VF-25 was at.

" _I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't know. That threat was the Vajra, and I had the pleasantries of facing one during my first year at Beacon._ "

" _A Vajra at Beacon?_ "

" _Yes, and I wouldn't have been able to kill it without the Valkyrie I now pilot._ "

" _And I thought I had it rough,_ " the blonde sighed as they continued to walk, and their conversations drifted off into what the girls did during the White Rose's time of absence in their lives. The woman was shocked to learn that Ruby got into Beacon two years early after stopping a robbery in Vale, how she became team leader of RWBY, and how they stopped the White Fang on multiple occasions. It then went on to how Beacon fell, with Yang going into detail about what she saw in her tournament fight in the finals, what the crowd and the feeds saw instead, and even went to how her arm got cut off. To say that the woman was angered was beyond exaggeration.

They eventually made it over to the hanger, reaching the VF-25 _Messiah_ that the Chaos engineers managed to fully repair. When they got to it, Yang was shocked to learn that the machine's enhancements were done by the woman herself, from the arm mounted gun pods to the addition of the speaker drone launchers. She then saw the woman climb up into the fighter's cockpit, starting the launching sequence as the thrusters warmed up. She took one last look over towards the pilot, shedding a tear in her left eye over the thought of her leaving.

" _Hey,_ " she called out to her, getting her attention. " _Will we be able to see each other again?_ "

The woman thought about it for a while before smiling, nodding at her question. " _I have no doubt we will, Yang Xiao Long. Remember, don't tell Ruby about this._ "

" _I won't, but there may be a time you need to show yourself to her._ "

" _I know._ " The woman then gave a salute to her as the cockpit closed. " _But only when the situation calls for it._ "

When the thrusters were warmed up enough, the White Rose went over the launch sequence procedures before grasping the controls, waiting until the launch bay doors were opened. When they did, she gave one last look over to Yang before launching the VF-25, speeding out of the Macross Elysion before flying off in the skies. The blonde shed another tear as she gave a salute to the fleeing White Rose, smiling as she knows she'll see her again.

" _I'm so happy to see you again,_ " she started, lowering her arm as the VF-25 was no longer visible. " _And I'm happy that Ruby took after you… Mom._ "

"Yang… YANG!"

Weiss' shouting immediately shook the blonde out of her flashback, making her see that she was still in Voldor's orbit in her VF-31 _Siegfried._ Looking over to the fighter with the snowflake emblem on it, she had to wonder what the Schnee pilot wanted, only to think that she herself was worried. Yang could only chuckle over how many times she can irritate the heiress-turned-pilot.

"Yang, what is going on with you," Weiss called out again from her Valkyrie. "I have been trying to reach you for a while now."

"Sorry, _Ice Queen_ ," she replied back, adding in the nickname. "I was just thinking about things."

"You? Think?" Weiss then appeared on screen, showing a worried expression. "I'm serious, Yang. Why haven't you responded?"

"I was thinking about how the White Rose is doing," she told her, telling her part of the truth before looking at the planet in front of them. "I wonder how Ruby is doing."

"She'll be fine, Yang. Ruby is a tough girl, and she's got Blake, Messer, Mirage and Walkure with her."

"I'm surprised you didn't include Hayate."

"Despite the… harsh connection between him and Messer, Hayate still has some redeeming qualities." The heiress then looked at the planet as well. "Hopefully, we can get this over and done with soon."

"Yeah," Yang agreed with her before slapping both sides of her face, getting a determined look. "Alright Yang, focus on the job. Your sister needs you."

Unknown to the two girls, they were both heard by both Chuck and Arad, whose _Siegfrieds_ remained in position in front of them. Chuck was curious as to what Yang and Weiss were talking about, crossing his arms in thought while Arad, already knowing the White Rose's identity from overhearing her and Yang's talk, only smirked as he kept his eyes on the fleet's defence on the planet. After all, it was not his place to interfere in the girls' problems unless it would affect their effectiveness in battle.

* * *

"Damn, we fell for it."

Right as Ruby had cursed out her words as her grip on Crescent Rose tightened, the three pilots watched as the Aerial Knight Bogue jumped high up from the scaffolding, landing on the solid soil in front of them. Neither of them backed away as he slowly paced himself towards them, keeping his eyes set on Freyja while glaring at the others. He then eventually stopped a few feet away from the members of Chaos, finally deciding to address the young Windermerean.

"How dare you taint the wind, you traitor," he spat out at Freyja, making her step back in shock. "Answer me."

The young Windermerean couldn't say anything as the word 'traitor' weighed on her mentally, and before she knew it, both Mirage and Hayate moved in front of her to keep her safe, with Ruby shifting her weapon's angle. The Aerial Knight, narrowing his eyes further, immediately dashed right in front of them before attacking, kicking Hayate down in the face and kneeing Mirage in the stomach. He had a slight problem with Ruby as she was as fast as him, but when he grabbed hold of her weapon, he delivered a heavy kick on her back, sending her down to the ground before discarding her weapon.

"Hayate," Freyja called out as she ran towards the knocked down pilots. "Mirage… Ruby—"

Before she could ask them if they were alright, the sight of a Windermerean sabre's blade near her neck made her stop. Glancing over to it, her eyes were wide as Bogue continues to harbor his glare towards the group. Her body began to shake over the fear of dying as the pilots guarding her began to get on their feet, their bodies aching in pain from Bogue's surprise attack.

"Don't you," Hayate started, struggling to get up. "Don't you lay a finger on her."

"Her," Bogue scoffs, spitting on the ground near the young man. "Do you mean this immature failure who can't even control her rune?"

"Watch what you say," Ruby taunted him, getting his attention. "If Walkure ever heard about this… If my sister caught wind of this… You better run away with your tails behind you."

"If your sister caught wind of this, she would be joining you Earthlings in hell."

Ruby's eyes narrowed over the talk the Aerial Knight spat out at her, unaware of what Mirage had up in her sleeve. Right in her hands laid a flashbang, ready to be primed and detonated near Bogue and allowing the team the chance to get away. When Hayate glanced over towards the Jenius pilot and eyed the explosive, she glanced over and mentally told him to give out a signal for her to lash it out.

"Heh," he started out again. "So this is how the valiant Aerial Knights fight? Is pointing a sword at an unarmed girl what you call chivalry?"

"What was that," was what he heard from Bogue as he continued to insult them.

"You won't even fight if your Var buddies are around. And when there is no Var to control, you bravely turned tail and fled—"

He was suddenly interrupted out of his statement when Bogue swiftly kicked him in the face, knocking him back down on to the ground. However, in that brief moment, he was unaware of what the other pilot planned as Mirage stood up on her feet, throwing the flashbang out of her hands and engulfing the area in a bright flash. Her plan would have succeeded, however, she didn't take into account the Aerial Knights that stood back taking action themselves.

At the moment she threw the grenade down and surprising Bogue, Theo and Xiao quickly jumped out of their spots and landed on the ground, beating up both her and Hayate. When the light died down, the twins stood triumphantly as the two Delta pilots groaned in pain from their combined attack. Freyja, the only one that stood there in shock could only take in the scene as her two friends lay on the ground with Mirage holding her stomach and Hayate unconscious on the ground. However, there was no sign of the young reaper, a detail the Aerial Knights ignored in favor of interrogating the two in their possession.

"Don't let your guard down," Xiao commented Bogue as the redheaded Aerial Knight got up.

"Damn Earthlings," Theo spat out afterwards, Forcing Mirage back on her feet as Bogue walked up towards Hayate. While they were distracted with the captives in front of them, Qasim took notice in Ruby's disappearance, looking at the surroundings in the hopes of spotting the young girl. His gaze narrowed out into the horizon, thinking that she was hiding behind one of the stalagmites.

Unknown to him, the young Rose hid herself behind the large pillar in the chasm, already out of breath from running when the flashbang detonated. Holding onto Crescent Rose, she silently manually shifted her weapon over into a sniper rifle, hissing as she managed to cut herself while going over the procedure. She mentally scolded herself for allowing her to shut off her aura with her team, but knew that if she had it on, she could hear the Song of the Wind and risk turning Var.

After getting her weapon ready, she tore off the leggings of her Voldorian disguise, using the cloth as makeshift bandages on her hands. Wincing quietly, she managed to wrap them around her wrists, keeping the blood from getting out of her body. Grabbing her rifle, she situated her back on the pillar and activating the emergency beacons, only to wince as she heard Hayate get kicked back down on the ground.

"What's wrong," she heard Bogue call out to the young man, peeking out to see the Aerial Knight approached by his senior. "Get up, Earthling.'

"Bogue," Herman spoke up, keeping a tone of authority. "Do you wish to kill him before we interrogate our prisoners?"

"Interrogate?" The hot headed Aerial Knight turned around to face his mentor. "We ought to execute him right here and now."

The young girl could only bite her lip as she heard that, but her movements were halted when she heard Freyja shout out. "Why… Why are you doing this? If you have a problem with me, then take it out on me, not them."

"Freyja," Ruby whispered out at the same time Mirage called out.

"We are at war," Bogue simply told her. "We fight for the great goal of establishing the Starwind Sector, and emancipating the planets of the Brisingr Cluster. We're liberating the people who have been annexed by the Unified Government. We will not stop until all the Earthlings residing in the planets are wiped out."

"But what does that mean," the young Windermerean asked out in sorrow. "You're making no sense."

"Liberating," Hayate finally spoke out, regaining his breath as he tried to sit up. "You call this 'Liberating?' Mind controlling the people? Tearing families apart? THAT'S NOT FREEDOM!"

"IT WAS YOU EARTHLINGS WHO TRAMPLED ON OUR PEACE WITH YOUR FILTHY FLEETS," the Aerial Knight lashed out, showing his hatred as his rune glowed, followed by Theo tightening his hold on Mirage.

"Windermere was once a peaceful place until the Earthlings came," he told the pilots, followed by his twin Xiao.

"We will take our planet back."

"That doesn't… That doesn't mean…" She then grabbed one of the Windermerean apples and pointed it towards the Aerial Knights, shocking them, Hayate, Mirage and Ruby with her next statement. "That doesn't mean you should waste food like this. Old Camille, Mr. Niels and the others from the village worked hard to grow apples, yet you use them for war? Is that really what's best for Windermere? YOU SHOULD BE APOLOGIZING TO OUR PEOPLE!"

"Ehehehehe," Herman laughed as Bogue stepped back from hearing the young girl, looking at his junior pilot. "She's got you there, Bogue."

"My family had an orchard as well," Qasim spoke up, surprising the faraway Ruby as she continued to listen. "But the farm, the apples, my parents and siblings were all lost in the War of Independence." He then gazed at the shocked Freyja. "This is War, girl."

"Enough of this farce," A new voice was heard as everyone looked over towards the doorway. To the Delta Platoon pilots, he was an unknown, but the man was heavily respected by the Aerial Knights. His uniform, while similar to the rest of the Windermereans, was a faded blue while long, blonde hair flowed downwards. When Ruby's eyes saw him, she noticed the difference between him and the others, thinking that he is a skilled pilot on a different level.

"Freyja Wion," he called out to the young girl, his eyes narrowed on the sight of the traitor before jumping down to the ground. "Why did you abandon your fatherland to sing with the tainted?"

"I…" She started, unsure of what to say. "I… I didn't abandon Windermere."

"Then why do you sing the songs of those who you should despise?"

Ruby, while listening to the conversation happening between her fellow pilots and Walkure member, began to whisper out a message over to Blake and Messer, hoping that they would hear it and come to their rescue. She then looked back over to see Freyja trying to form words out of her out, mentally cursing when she saw Hayate getting back up despite the injuries. She had to admit that the fool may be crazy, but he was determined crazy.

"You're merely possessed by this illusion they call 'songs,'" he continued, reaching his hand over to draw out his sabre. "The songs of someone who has no resolve in their heart are not needed on the battlefield. I'll cut you down and your trembling rune, and bury you in the soil of our fatherland. That's the least I can do, for someone who was born in the same wind."

"STOP IT," Hayate shouted out as he rushed forward, only to be punched back in the face down to the ground by Bogue.

"Don't get in Lord Keith's way, Earthling," the Aerial Knight told him as Keith readied his blade, thankful for the redhead from stopping the young man before focusing his sights on Freyja. The young Windermerean was shocked to see the White Knight willing to strike her down, causing her to step back in fear. She closed her eyes in fear as the blade came down, only for the sound of blades colliding echoed in her ears, making her eyes open to see Lloyd blocking the man's attack.

"Lloyd," Keith spoke out in venom, wondering why he was there.

"I recall giving you clear orders to capture them," the chancellor reminded him, keeping his strength on the blade. "There is plenty of information we need to find out about Walkure."

"WE SHOULD JUST KILL THE TRAITOR—" Bogue managed to shout out before he was interrupted.

"We are not like the N.U.G. Spacy."

The words stung the brash knight heavily, making him step back and look down in disgust, causing his rune to glow yellow in tune to his feelings. It didn't take long for his attitude to change as the familiar sound of Walkure's song **いけない** **ボーダーライ** **ン** began to play in the background, surprising the Aerial Knights and giving the Delta pilots hope. Both Keith and Lloyd broke off from their stalemate as the latter looked over to the side, seeing the familiar Cygnus drones hovering as the holographic projection of Walkure's emblem lit the cavern.

The drones then converged into sets of pairs, creating holographic displays of the members of Walkure in front of the Knights as a large display of Mikumo covered the cavern wall. When the display began to sing out the lyrics of the song, many of the young Aerial Knights were at a stalemate on what to do, with Bogue lashing out and cutting one diagonally, only for it to disperse and reappear behind him. The Windermereans could only watch as the holograms continued to sing out the song, with only the senior pilot being more cautious.

"Don't let them trick you," Herman called out to the others. "Feel them with your runes—"

He was then forced to set back as his runes glowed in warning, allowing him to avoid gunfire coming from a cave far from them. Ruby, taking the sound of bullets as a signal to pop out from her cover, moved out and opened fire on the Aerial Knights, surprising them with her accuracy. She then glanced over and saw Qasim moving towards her, making her shift Crescent Rose from sniper rifle to scythe before blocking a strike from his saber. She then moved her weapon down to the left, forcing the Windermerean's weapon down to the ground before attempting to kick him away. Her feet never met their mark as the male jumped away in time, backing away from her.

"Ruby," she turned her head over to see Blake running over towards her, noticing a bandaged wound on her leg. "Are you alright?"

"Never better," she told her. "You sure took your time."

"What do they say? Better late than never?" Blake then turned around and aimed Gambol Shroud over to the ground, seeing the holograms continue to distract the younger members of the Aerial Knights as Messer continued to open fire on the senior Herman. "We have to get moving. The rest of Walkure will get to the others."

"Aren't they performing?"

"That's only a distraction to get the Aerial Knights away from Hayate, Freyja and Mirage."

The young girl then looked out to see the faunas' words holding truth as the holograms around the Windermereans suddenly erupted into a shocking cage, keeping them grounded as the real Walkure members moved to retrieve the three captives. She then breathed a sigh of relief as her fellow teammates were now safe from harm before glancing back to Blake's leg. The red patch on the makeshift bandage already told her that the wound was from a recent skirmish.

"Blake," she started, aiming Crescent Rose down on the Aerial Knights. "What happened on your end?"

* * *

 **(Minutes before the rescue.)**

"I'm leaving those three in your hands. Let's move. Blake, you're up front."

While she hated the idea of leaving Ruby and the others behind, Blake could only nod to Messer's orders and took up the front, already having Gambol Shroud in pistol mode. When she looked back to the faces of the others, they all gave her a nod of readiness, giving her the signal to move forward, leading the Walkure singers through the escape route Makina made. She made another glance backwards towards Messer, seeing him holding up the rear of the group while keeping his hands on his rifle.

She then saw Makina run up towards her and showing her the escape route made out on her holoscreen, nodding in thanks to her before focusing on the route in front of her. She was grateful for the girl to show her the directions of the route, giving her a mental clock on when they'll escape the facility near the Protoculture. Due to her faunas nature, her vision of the dark hallways was brightened for her, and her hearing was enhanced, allowing her to listen to anything that may come to her.

Feeling her ears twitch, she stopped her advance before leaning her back on the wall, surprising the group and allowing Messer to join up with her. Moving her head slightly, she looked over the corridor that followed their path, using her ears as a means to detect far off sounds. Feeling it twitch again, she groaned out before checking her ammunition, sighing as she only had stun rounds on her. She then saw Messer handing over live rounds for her to use, nodding back to the First Lt. before switching the ammunition.

"What's going on," Kaname asked her as she looked outwards.

"I heard movement coming from that hallway," the faunas told her, gripping her weapon in her hand. "We're about to have a welcome party coming towards us, and the sound is coming from there."

"But that's part of our escape route," Makina whispered out. "How did—"

"We can only assume that Windermere found out about us," Messer interrupted. "Blake, what are the odds that the others will encounter the Aerial Knights?"

"Highly likely, judging from the sound I'm hearing." The faunas then peaked over her shoulder, seeing the sight of the Var infected guards arriving before aiming their rifles. Before she could say another word, the infected opened fire on their position, keeping them pinned down where they were. Being at the front of the group, both Blake and Messer nodded before shooting back, switching with Messer to reload before switching again.

It didn't take long for more Var Infected to arrive and back up the forces present as they blocked the way out, locked in a shootout against the Delta pilots guarding the Walkure singers. While the Grim Reaper and Belladonna combo managed to take down a few of the soldiers, more would appear and take their place, dragging the fight longer than it should have. However, the pilot's main focus is to ensure the safety of Kaname, Makina and Reina, holding their position as the girls looked at the holo-screens.

"Can we get any word out to the _Aether_ ," Kaname asked the hacker, only for the latter to shake her head.

"Wireless is jammed," the girl answered her.

"What about the others?"

"We're still getting their vital signals," Makina told her. "But their emergency beacons have been activated."

"Dammit," Blake cursed as she reloaded her weapon, firing upon the Var guards while hearing their conversation. "If we could divert our course and reach Ruby and the others, we can work out another way out from the complex."

"Our first order of business is to make it through here," Messer spoke up, keeping his gaze on the enemy before seeing an empty passageway. "On my mark, Head over in that direction." He then looked over to Blake. "You go ensure their safety, Blake."

"Roger," They all answered him as he kept his back on the wall before opening fire on the Var, giving the girls the signal to move ahead. He poked his weapon out and took out the Var controlled soldiers as the group led by Makina moved to the nearby corridor, with Blake moving behind. One of the guards, taking notice both the singers and the pilot, opened fire on them, grazing Blake's leg with a stray bullet and causing her to collapse on the ground. She then looked at the one responsible before opening fire, disabling his shoulder before crawling out of the way.

"KANAME," she heard Messer call out as the Delta 02 pilot moved in, pushing the girl away from the hail of bullets before firing back, taking out two approaching soldiers. Leaning his back on the wall, the man winced out in pain as both Kaname and Blake took notice of the wound on his arm, showing concern on their faces. He waved them off briefly, telling them that he was fine as he led the group further in the complex.

Both Blake and Kaname couldn't help but grow their worries as they continued to move through the facility, running into multitudes of Var controlled N.U.N.S. guards. Ambush after ambush, they have borne witness to the Grim Reaper's face, twisted into that of shock and rage. Unknown to the faunas, Messer continued to open fire on the Var controlled soldiers, thinking back onto the Var Outbreak on Alfheim before he joined the Delta Platoon. When the Var soldiers were taken out, Blake and Kaname dragged him over to the staircase, shaking him out of his stupor.

"Messer," Kaname called out to him, seeing him snap out. "You're covered in sweat."

"I'm fine," He muttered out in a strained voice before looking forward. "We must hurry."

"But Messer," Blake spoke up. "With the way you are, you might—"

"I SAID I'M FINE!" He then saw how shocked her face was before looking down. "Sorry, Blake, but time is of the essence here."

"Then let's roll up the curtains…" everyone turned around to see Mikumo looking down on them with a smile. "…and start the Walkure show."

"Wait, what happened to Freyja's group," Kaname asked the Mysterious Venus, only for Blake to connect the dots.

"Maybe… they were caught by the Aerial Knights."

* * *

( **Back in the present** )

As the Walkure holographic distraction continued to play the song, the rescue of Freyja and the pilots was handled with ease as the singers secured the Windermerean, Hayate and Mirage. Blake, while watching over Ruby to make sure her hands didn't hurt while gripping Crescent Rose, helped provide covering fire for the others to escape along with focusing fire on Keith, keeping him away from the group. As she fired, she couldn't help but be shocked at how Mikumo was singing during the chaos, but kept her sights at the Aerial Knights and shooting near their position.

"SPREAD OUT AND CAPTURE THEM," she heard the blonde Aerial Knight shout out, ordering the other Windermereans after them. Nodding at Ruby, she separated from her team leader/senior officer and jumped over to assist Messer, already taking notice as the White knight had already reached him before her. When the Grim Reaper saw the attacker, he instinctively raised his rifle, using it to block the sabre from striking his body.

"You read my wind," He started, staring into Messer's eyes. "Are you the Grim Reaper?"

"You're the… White Knight," the pilot assumed, seeing the Windermerean tense up before jumping back and blocking Blake's Gambol Shroud with ease.

"This wind… You're Belladonna, I assume." Her eyes went wide eyed for a second before returning her steel glare, forcing the White Knight to chuckle. "I'll finish both you and the Grim Reaper in the skies."

The Windermerean jumped far away from the two Delta pilots, causing the both of them to lower their weapons, return to the others and escaping out of the complex. Thanks to Messer's thinking, they were able to clear out the hallways, leaving a safe route for everyone to traverse. Reaching the outside of Voldor's facility, they were all greeted with the sight of their own VF-31 _Siegfrieds_ , along with the manned fighters of Arad, Chuck, Yang and Weiss.

"Sorry for the wait, everyone," Chuck called out to them, staying in the air as the five Valkyries touched down in Gerwalk mode. "Five of the best Delta Platoon _Siegfrieds_ at your doorsteps."

"Thanks for the delivery, guys," Ruby gave her appreciation to them, glancing over to Messer's injury on his arm.

"Is your arm OK," Hayate asked him, beating her to it.

"It's in better shape than your face and Ruby's hands," the Delta 02 pilot answered, challenging the two young pilots.

"Try manually changing a weapon without drawing a sound," the young reaper hissed out in a smirk. "Besides, I believe I can still fly."

"And it's no big deal," Hayate added in with a smirk of his own before going towards his Valkyrie, followed by the rest of the groundside Delta Pilots. Starting up the ignition, they all grasped their controls before moving their fighters, switching them into fighter mode as they flew into the skies. As the fighters that stayed in orbit joined them, the Valkyries piloted by Yang and Weiss joined Ruby's as the blonde started up a link.

"Ruby, what happened down there," Yang started up, clearly worried for her sister. "I saw your hands from the cockpit. Why were they covered in blood?"

"The Windermereans found out about us," Ruby told her sister, slightly wincing as she put pressure on her hands. "As for the blood, I had to shift my scythe to a sniper rifle without a sound. Honestly, it made me miss my aura."

"What were you even thinking, Rubes?"

"Well I couldn't stand let my friends get tortured by the Aerial Knights. If it weren't for Blake, I would have been on my own firing back at them."

"Well, did you figure out which one was the White Knight?"

"I was the one who encountered him," Blake interrupted in, her Valkyrie underneath Ruby's. "Needless to say, he knows Messer and I as both Grim Reaper and Belladonna respectively."

"In other words, you were the one actually engaging the White Knight," Ruby concluded, smiling. "At least one of us is—"

Before she could finish her statement, the familiar sound of the Song of the Wind played in the battleground, causing her team, Walkure and the entire Delta Platoon to hear it. Her eyes went wide as the song played in her head, making her freak out over the fact that even with her aura gone, she was still able to hear the Windermerean song. Her thoughts were shared in the minds of RWBY, making them question their choice.

"What is this," Chuck spoke out in shock. "Can you guys hear it?"

"Is this what Hayate and Ruby's division were talking about," Mirage wondered to herself as she heard the Windermerean song.

"It's the Song of the Wind," Arad informed the team.

"It's impossible," Weiss muttered to herself. "Ruby, we all shut off our auras after the Randor incident, right? So how is it that we can still hear the Song of the Wind?"

"I-I don't know," the young girl answered her honestly.

"Perhaps it has gotten stronger since the last time," Yang spoke up, getting the girl's attention. "Last time we heard it, only Hayate and Walkure heard it before. Now… without our aura…"

"It will affect us, aura or not," Blake finished wide eyed, turning her head to the right over to Messer's _Siegfried_. In the Delta 02 fighter's cockpit, the pilot groaned in pain as the song echoed in his head, triggering the Var Syndrome in his body to reawaken after years of being dormant. Regardless, he focused his strength into stopping it from taking over his very being as he continued to fly with the Delta Platoon.

"If we can hear the song," Chuck started, bring up a comm link to everyone. "Does that mean the Var is going to get us too?"

"Calm down," Arad ordered the Ragnan. "We have Walkure with us. We've got the intel we needed. We should return to Ragna." The commander smirked as he spoke out again. "Jellyfish ramen for everyone once we get back, and I'll even throw in a Ragna shrimp or two."

"Roger," Mirage acknowledged, followed by Hayate, Yang and Weiss.

"Sounds like a plan."

"I'm looking forward to it."

"As long as mine has less salt, I'm all for it."

"Then come by anytime," Chuck shouted in glee as the fighters got closer, taking notice of the incoming VF-171 _Nightmares_ coming towards them.

"All units," Arad addressed the Delta pilots. "Formation Hellmoth."

With the order given, the pilots of Chaos began another dogfight with the Var controlled N.U.N.S. Valkyries as Walkure began to sing the song **NEO STREAM** , already positioning themselves on one of the ruin's pillars. The battle immediately began as the Valkyries got close to one another, exchanging bullet fire between the VF-31s and the VF-171s along with the occational missile barrage. Amidst the battle, Hayate focused his sights on a fleeing _Nightmare_ , trying to set his target locator on the wing.

"Just a little closer…" he muttered to himself as his targeting system zoomed in on the N.U.N.S. fighter. "A little closer… closer…"

As the system painted a target on the fighter's wing, the young man immediately opened fire on it, severing it off of the machine. The Valkyrie spun out of control as it plummeted down to the surface as the cockpit opened to eject the pilot, floating down with a parachute. Hayate panted as he looked behind on the downed machine, satisfied that he could save the pilot for Walkure to cure with their song.

"FOE AT YOUR 12," Messer shouted at Hayate, shocking him as bullet fire went passed by him before the Delta 02 fighter came into view, flying towards the attacking Var N.U.N.S. machines. Dodging enemy fire, the Grim Reaper closed in and fired upon a VF-171 flying towards the young man, destroying it before diverting its flight path and opened fire on another _Nightmare_. With the bullets impacting the fighter, Messer began to regain his breath as the Var Syndrome starts to worsen in him until he saw the familiar Draken flying towards him. "White Knight…"

"Let's duel," Keith muttered to himself as his fighter got closer to the VF-31 he's targeting, coming up behind Messer and commencing their own dogfight in the skies. Reactive bullets and missile barrages were exchanged between the two machines as they flew passed one another in their skirmish, giving the blonde Windermerean a single detail that was different the battles waged before. "His movements are slow. Maybe he's infected—"

His thoughts were immediately gone as his rune glowed, signalling him to dodge bullet fire coming from Blake's _Siegfried_ coming towards him. Smirking, he shifted his focus from Messer to Blake as his SV-262 broke off from the duel between him and the Grim Reaper, flying towards the Belladonna's VF-31 with the intent of taking her out of the sky. The raven head could only glare at him as she began her own dogfight with the White Knight, taking the heat away from the Grim Reaper in the hopes of lessoning the Var infection on him.

Regaining her focus on the White Knight's fighter, she unleashed a barrage of bullets and missiles towards the Draken in the hopes of taking it out of the sky, only to see it dodge the shots and firing on the explosives. Driven with anger, she kept her sights on the SV-262, only to feel a sudden shockwave emitted from the Protoculture ruins, breaking off from the conflict. Feeling the pulse himself, Keith winced in pain as his fighter backed off from the firefight.

"The wind…" he started as the pulse dissipated, regaining his bearings. "It's disrupted?"

The Protoculture ruins emitting the pulse slowly resonated with the song Walkure performed, being felt by the Aerial Knights, Delta Platoon, and the sound unit themselves, with Freyja bearing the brunt of it due to her Windermerean status. Each of the members began to wonder what was going on with the ruins, thinking that it was increasing the wavelengths of the sound, only for Makina to discover the fold waves disturbed. Their thoughts were eventually dismissed as a volley of missiles was heading their way, forcing Kaname to block them with the Cygnus drones.

Seeing the impact the explosives impacting Walkure's defences, both Ruby and Hayate bore witness to a VF-171 making its way towards the singers, prompting them to rush over in their VF-31s. Chasing after it, the two pilots opened fire on the _Nightmare_ , getting frustrated as each round was dodged by the N.U.N.S. machine until one impacted the wing. When Freyja opened her eyes to watch, she was shocked to discover the fighter in question was the same one from before, when two children were singing to it. She realized that the pilot in the machine was the kids' father, Alberto Larrazabal, captain and ace pilot of the Voldorian N.U.N.S. forces. She was scared for what's about to happen as the VF-171 shifted to Gerwalk Mode and circled around Walkure before landing, followed by Hayate and Ruby.

"HAYATE, RUBY," the young girl called out to them as the _Nightmare_ and _Siegfried_ models changed into Battroid mode. "IT'S HIM! IT'S THOSE KID'S FATHER!"

"What," Ruby questioned as she zoomed in on the _Nightmare_ turning to face them, seeing the insignia on the left shoulder of the Battroid. Her memories then flashed back into her mind of when she was in the Voldorian city, remembering the same Valkyrie walking away as the kids called out to it. They immediately faded as her mind came back to the present, reacting just in time as Larrazabal launched a barrage of missiles towards her and Delta 05. She could only wince as Hayate's VF-31 suffered damage, tumbling down to the ground.

"HAYATE," both Ruby and Freyja shouted out at the same time as the latter jumped off of the ruins, making her way towards the downed _Siegfried_ fighter. She ignored her name being called out from Kaname, seeing her fellow partner under attacked by the controlled Voldorian father. Climbing up a tumbled tree, she caught the sight of Alberto's Battroid jumping up and opened fire on Hayate, who shot back and damaged the VF-171's leg. It then tumbled down to the ground as Delta 05 got back up, with the young man activating his comm link to speak out to him.

"SNAP OUT OF IT, CAPTAIN LARRAZABAL," he called out to the Var N.U.N.S. pilot as it got back up. "YOUR KIDS MISS YOU! GO HOME TO THEM! THEY'RE WAITING FOR YOU! GO BACK HOME TO THEM!"

His words never reached out towards the N.U.N.S. machine as it aimed its rifle at the VF-31, opening fire on him. He slowly reacted by raising his arms and activating the barrier system, only for the reactive bullets to impact the Battroid's face, forcing the machine to tumble back down to the ground. Upon seeing it happen, Ruby motioned her own Valkyrie to move in, only to stop as the red and gold SV-262 Draken from Ionedeth appeared and fired on her, forcing the young girl to shift in Fighter Mode and engage it in the skies. With her occupied, it was left with Hayate and Freyja dealing with a Var Alberto.

"Ruby… Dammit…" Hayate muttered to himself before looking at his visuals, shocked as the damage resulted with him unable to pinpoint his targets. He then saw the _Nightmare_ reload it's weapon before aiming at him again. "Crap… there's no way I can aim like this now…"

"DON'T! YOU MUSTN'T SHOOT," Freyja shouted out while running, climbing over another tree and holding her arms to the sides. "YOU MUST NOT SHOOT!" Her appearance shocked Hayate as she was resolved to prove the kids wrong about Walkure's songs. "The song will reach him. It is not an illusion." She turned around as her rune came out, glowing brightly at her determination while the VF-171 aimed its rifle at her. "May my wishes… reach you! May my song touch his heart!"

With her mind now made up and her heart strengthened, Freyja began to sing out **GIRAFFE BLUES** towards the Var infected N.U.N.S. pilot, hoping that he would return to his senses. While the VF-171 continued to prime itself to attack, aiming its rifle towards the young Windermerean, the pilot started to feel agonizing pain as the song echoed into his mind. Trying to suppress the pain, Larrazabal moved his finger around the controls until he found the trigger, pressing it to open fire on the girl.

"FREYJA," Hayate shouted out as he moved in to protecting her, activating the barrier system just in time to block the reactive bullets coming towards her. Despite the danger she was in, the Windermerean continued to sing the song to the pilot, having her voice echo out into the battle. Walkure stood in amazement as her song reached out to them, with Kaname discovering the fold waves emitted rising at a rapid pace as the ruins began to react to her. The Protoculture structures began to emit a strong light embedded in the walls while Freyja sang out, passing through space-time into Windermere, causing her to be heard by a young boy, Prince Heinz, and Gramia himself.

"Who…" the young boy spoke out in wonder. "Who's singing?"

"The Wind," the Windermerean king muttered in his bed, hearing the song as Freyja kept it up during the battle above Voldor's surface. Her singing reached out to Messer, relieving him of the Var Syndrome symptoms as his body returned to normal, allowing him to regain his breath. Back on the surface, the effects of her song had started to take its toll on Alberto as the rate of fire went from full auto to semi auto until the trigger was let go from his finger. He gritted his teeth as the Var Syndrome began to dissipate from him, allowing images of his children singing the song echoed in his mind. Eventually, the Var inside his body was gone, allowing Alberto to regain his sense of self.

"Leo… Mira," he muttered his children's names as the VF-171 he piloted shut down, shocking Hayate as the young girl continued to sing **GIRAFFE BLUES** out to the battlefield. His shock was later replaced with determination as he saw Bogue's Draken flying towards her, making the young man get his _Siegfried_ off of the ground before shifting into Gerwalk Mode and flying upwards. He then activated the barrier system as he got high enough, using it when the Windermerean fighter fired a laser towards Freyja. Due to the bullet fire he blocked beforehand, the system wasn't strong enough to fully guard against the blast, causing the Valkyrie's arm to be destroyed. Regardless of the missing mechanical limb, the pilot steeled himself and shifted into Fighter Mode, chasing the SV-262 and opening fire on it.

Unaware of what was happening, the necklace Hayate was wearing began to react to Freyja's song, allowing it to glow brightly. As it did, it had increased his reaction speeds as his Valkyrie emitted a bright trail of light as it gained up speed towards the Draken, closing in on the Windermerean's thrusters. Ruby and Mirage, the latter helping the former with the red and golden SV-262 Draken, watched in awe as the young man closed in on Bogue's fighter, commenting on how fast he was going.

"He's persistant," Bogue commented as the VF-31 got closer, his rune glowing in irritation. "We'll see about that." He then shifted his Draken into Gerwalk Mode before drifting back, getting closer to the Valkyrie as his weapon were pointed towards the foe. "So Long—"

He didn't get the chance to finish his sentence as the sight of the _Siegfried_ , already in Gerwalk Mode, opened fire on his weapons, rending them useless. Hayate's targeting system was painted onto the cockpit of the Windermerean machine, but when he remembered what happened back on Ionedeth, along with Freyja's song echoing, he changed the sights and opened fire on the Draken's leg. The resulting impact was Bogue being taken out of the skies as Hayate shifted back into Fighter Mode, flying upwards in the skies.

"Hayate…" Mirage said in awe over what he did.

"He's getting better," Ruby commented as she saw the Windermerean fighters backing off, allowing her and the Delta Platoon to catch up to the young man. Looking back, she saw the odd SV-262 gaining chase on them, forcing her to shift her Valkyrie into Battroid, grabbing the VF Crescent Rose and took aim. She then opened fire on the red Draken, damaging the wing before reverting back into Fighter Mode and flying back to the fighter squadron, taking her place besides Arad's VF-31.

"Ruby's getting better in her skills," Arad commented before looking at Hayate's machine. "And our fledgeling's dancing with the wind. He'd be proud of you if he saw you now, boy." He then saw the shuttle carrying Walkure flying behind the platoon, opening his comm channel to speak with Kaname. "Leader, is Walkure safe?"

" _Yeah,_ " the sound unit's leader answered him. " _We're looking forward to that jellyfish ramen._ "

"Good to hear. We're moving out."

With that said, the Delta Platoon continued their ascent in the skies until they reached the cold reaches of outer space, avoiding the asteroids as they made their way over to the _Aether_. With the discovery made by the ground team, they hope they could make a breakthough on how to combat Windermere and the Var Syndrome. Their thoughts, however, were on the jellyfish ramen Arad was getting them, along with the much needed rest they deserved later.

* * *

After suffering from a lecture from Weiss and a crushing bear hug from Yang, Ruby finally reached her room in the girls' dorm in Barrette City, collapsing on the bed in the process. She knew that they were all looking out for her, but when Weiss saw the cuts on Ruby's hands, she had to go and lecture the young girl for trying to change Crescent Rose manually. Regardless, she accepted the reason why she had to do it and dropped the subject, reminding her that she has to be careful now that she lacks aura.

Looking over her phone, she was checking the messages she got from Jaune and his team back on Remnant, replying back as best as she could. She then sent a message over to the White Rose over what she went through back on Voldor, telling her about how Freyja managed to cure the ace pilot Alberto Larrazabal with **GIRAFFE BLUES** , the melody Walkure obtained from the mysterious _Messiah_ pilot. She then saw her father's name in her contact list, thinking about what he is doing.

"I hope dad isn't missing me too much," she muttered to herself before shaking her head with a smile. "Ehh, I'm sure he's fine. But, it wouldn't hurt to at least call him once in a while."

Making up her mind, she clicked on her dad's contact info, hitting the call button and choosing the video option. Seeing her phone shift its screen to make a video call, she giggled as the phone rang, waiting for her dad to come pick up his scroll from his side. Two rings became three, she waited and waited until eventually, the screen lit up to show the inside of her home back on Remnant, with Taiyang's face visible for her to see.

"Alright, who in the right mind is making a call to me at this time of night," he started annoyed until he saw Ruby's face, eyes widening over what he said. "Ruby?"

"Hey, dad," she greeted him, giving her dad the smile he liked. "Sorry I haven't made a call to you in a while. Work has been busy."

"I'll bet. It's been so many months since you left Remnant." He then sighed before realizing what was happening. "Wait a minute, how are you even calling me, Rubes? Last I checked, you should be… I don't know, out of range to get a signal?"

"A friend of mine made a hack, allowing me to make a call to Remnant any time."

"Well, it's great to hear from you again, Ruby. How have you been?

"I've been great. A little injured, but nothing I can't handle." She then sighed before continuing. "Things, however, aren't so great."

"What do you mean, kiddo?"

"I mean that the situation kinda escalated. You remember what Arad told you about?"

"You mean the whole 'Var' situation," he asked her, getting a nod. "Yeah, I remember him saying that you would be helping with taking care of the problem. So what's wrong?"

"We found out that the Var was being used by a… sovereign planet? Yeah, it turns out that the Var was being used as a mind control agent for a nation called Windermere. I had a few run ins with them lately."

"Windermere, huh?" Tai then adopted a face of thought. "To be honest, I never heard of a place as that."

"Obviously because Remnant's been out of the loop." She then laughed at what she implied before regaining her thoughts. "Anyways, we discovered that the Windermereans have been triggering the Var with the 'song of the wind,' the same song I heard before Mistral got destroyed."

"Yeah. So not only are you fighting the Var, but you're also fighting the Windermereans?"

"Pretty much," she nodded to his statement. "After an assignment, I found out that Walkure and my fellow pilot, Hayate Immelmann, heard the song as well. To add to that insanity, my team heard it, thinking that our aura acted as an amplifier to the song."

"So what did you do with your aura," he asked her.

"The only thing we thought would work: We shut it down." She then shook her head. "That didn't go well since I heard it again on Voldor, only this time, it was strong enough for the whole Delta Platoon to hear it."

"Oh."

"Enough about me," she declared, smiling. "Have you been taking any missions lately?"

"I would, if the Grimm hasn't stayed in hiding for months," he said to her, shocking her with the news. "Ever since Mistral, the Creatures of Grimm suddenly dropped out of the map. Even the concentrated numbers at Beacon suddenly disappeared."

"How is that even possible," she asked him before remembering, gasping. "Wait… The song of the wind. It must have had a major impact on them. I remember them backing off in pain as I heard the song, running away afterwards."

"Kinda ridiculous, but you may be on to something there, Ruby." He then sighed before grabbing something off camera. "Anyways, I better get to my scheduled workout. Have Yang give me a call sometime." He then showed her what he had in his hand, her eyes going wide over the sight of a familiar apple as it reached his mouth. "I want to see her new arm sometime. I got one from Atlas, but I need a comparison before I—"

"DAD, DON'T EAT THAT," she shouted out, shocking him as the apple fell out of his hand. "WHAT WERE YOU EVEN THINKING?"

"What? I was about to take a bite out of the Vacuan apple."

"Vacuan apple," she questioned before getting serious. "Dad, that was not a Vacuan Apple. What you had is one of the triggers of the Var. You have Windermerean apples."

"What," he muttered, shocked to hear the news. "I was told it was healthy, and that I should drink the water provided along with it."

"Dad, whatever you do, do not take a bite out of those apples OR sip out of the water." Her mind then went over to Alberto Larrazabal, looking down. "I already had to deal with a Var controlled parent. Please, I don't want you being next."

Taiyang was immediately shocked to hear the news coming from her, but he knew that she would never lie to him. Taking a gulp, he looked over to the Windermerean apple on the floor before picking it before throwing it in the garbage. He then took the water provided with it and drained it down the sink, seeing the liquid go down the pipes. Looking back at the scroll, he picked it up and breathed heavily.

"Alright," he spoke up finally. "I'll trust your judgment, Ruby."

"Thanks, dad," she told him before looking at the time, nodding. "I'll talk to you later. I have something to discuss with my senior officers."

"Be safe out there, Rosebud."

She then nodded to him, saying her goodbyes to him before ending the call, placing the phone on her desk. Looking at the clock, she made her way out of her room, grabbing her jacket before exiting the building. Looking at the Macross Elysion, she crouched down into a sprinter's pose before taking off, sprinting over to Chaos Ragna headquarters with the intent of delivering more news to the Zentradi captain.

* * *

 **A/N: I… I really have to apologize for the long wait. While I had a month to finally figure out how to get the chapter right, I had a new obstacle: MOM TAKING OVER MY LAPTOP TO PLAY FACEBOOK GAMES! *sighs* Sorry about that. It makes me wonder why she's using mine when I got her one.**

 **Well, it looks like the situation has been sneaking into Remnant one by one, but it's nothing compared to the ongoing war between Windermere and the N.U.N.S. Unlike the previous chapters, I decided to use the episode name for this chapter as it had one of the big things from the show: Hayate resonating with Freyja as she sang. Along with that, but Ruby now got a look as to what the Aerial Knights look like. I had to do like a moment where it focused on Ruby's group first, then went over to Blake's team encountering the Var guards. Also, the lack of aura was presented in this chapter too, as I had the characters realize earlier that they would have turned Var earlier, so that's gone. Too bad the Song of the Wind got stronger this time.**

 **Review Replies:**

 **Yuiharime:** _ **Love the new chapter! I totally forgot about Kaname liking Messer. The part about Blake admitting that she failed Yang was partly true, if you ask me.**_

 **Yeah, Kaname likes Messer too. Honestly, it breaks my heart to see a character get sad over the death of a friend and, in Kaname's case, a comrade as well. You may be right about how Blake failing Yang being partly true. I think she still feels guilty over how Yang lost her arm to Adam at the end of Volume 3.**

 **Tendaysromeo:** _ **S-S-Shog… ehem… that is getting old. Anyway, I like the new chapter and what a way for you to end the year is to write this awesome chapter.**_

 **Why thank you man. And, yeah, the Shogun Kayo was getting old, but now there is a dub for Gintama season 3. I watched a few episodes, and while I thought it was good, there were some instances where it could have been improved more. (I'm looking at you, Otae)**

 **XY Kid:** _ **Great chapter. I really like this cat-theme chapter if you know what I'm talking about. Anyways, I've been wondering… is Oscar the farm boy getting involved in this?**_

 **Hmmm, Not really. By the time I had this chapter all fully thought out, I saw Oscar struggling with how Ozpin is communicating with him. So no.**

 **Guest:** _ **Well…. That was a joke, but to be honest, even if those worlds exist in the Macross universe, the Windermereans won't last long against its inhabtants.**_

 **Just a little heads up, sometimes I don't catch on to jokes that much. Puns, yes, because I live with a mom who puts Yang's puns to shame.**

 **Wee-0wee-0:** _ **Between Gramia and Lloyd… I say both… I hate the both of them. They are the Scrappy in Macross Delta.**_

 **Great… now I have a sudden urge to watch Scooby-Doo while eating Scooby snacks. And I mean the original cartoons or What's new Scooby-Doo. The new series ruined the character designs for me.**

 **Marcus the Kane:** _ **Great Chapter! The part where Ruby and Hayate were mistaken as a couple was very funny. In fact, a lot of funny things happened in this chapter.**_

 **I knew you would like the comedy. If anything, I like how some serious anime can add in some comedy bits to get a laugh.**

 **Bebop Wolf:** _ **Of all the Macross series, Why Macross: Delta? Seriously, why not Frontier? That one was amazing. To me, Delta sucked hard.**_

 **At the time, the idea of doing a RWBY x Macross: Delta came to mind as the anime itself was still airing, so it was pretty fresh for me to type in and publish on the site. I agree that Frontier was amazing. I even rewatched the show months ago, as well as watching the movie The Wings of Goodbye (Sayonara no Tsubasa). Also, I happened to like Delta, so I wanted to do a crossover of it with RWBY.**

 **Soleil:** _ **So Gale is the woman who is supposed to replace Keith, right? Will the deaths of Delta also be in your fan fic?**_

 **Only the deaths that have happened in the anime, meaning I'm following Delta Canon. And yes, Gale will be replacing Keith as the White Knight later, and she had her piloting debut in the Ionedeth incident. Also, ElentiyaViStaadtfeldt had already figured out Gale's identity.**

 **Guest:** _ **Reading through your earlier chapters, I just wanted to point something out: Only the Delta wing use Siegfrieds (customized from its mass produced counterpart), the rest of Chaos uses the VF-31A Kairos.**_

 _ **The Siegfrieds were custom built to support Walkure, and are modified to be more stylish while being fine tuned to a pilot's specifications (e.g. Chuck's (VF-31E) Siegfried has an upgraded sensor package similar to the earlier RVF-25s installed in its head unit, while Messer's (VF-31F) has been tuned to match his response time, along with a tuned engine for higher speeds)**_

 **Oh… Thanks for pointing that out for me. Honestly, I had thought that the entirety of Chaos uses** _ **Siegfrieds**_ **. Next time, I'll know for sure. And is it strange that the** _ **Kairos**_ **models look similar to the YF-30** _ **Chronos**_ **models, or is it just me?**

 **New Universe Returns: (1)** _ **Review for chapter 8.**_

 _ **RWBY x Macross: Delta is enough, I don't want a RWBY x Aquarion EVOL x-over to be shared the same continuity with Macross RWBY: Delta. It ruins me.**_

 _ **If I'd like to see an Aquarion EVOL x-over, it will be with the Ultraman series instead, which I think you won't do.**_

 **That's right. I have seen some episodes of EVOL, but I never really got into the series. The character designs looked cool, but the way the mech merges… *shivers* I don't like characters 'moaning' as their machines merged. If anything, the pilots shouldn't be feeling a thing as a mech merged into a larger. And, I haven't even seen Ultraman, so that's another thing.**

 **(2)** _ **I do hope Ruby will reunite with Summer soon. I wonder how different RWBY: Volume 4 will be now in Macross RWBY: Delta?**_

 _ **Please keep it up. I'm sorry for my absence, had other things to do.**_

 **Hey, I understand how it is. Life tends to throw wrenches at me all the time. Lending money to family and then waiting for months for them to pay me back, having my laptop high jacked by mom so she can play Facebook games… etc. And, Macross RWBY: Delta won't be following volume 4, but it has given me some ideas for arc three. Mainly about the White Fang led by Adam, Blake's family, and the character appearances. Other than that, nothing else can come to mind.**

 **Now the next chapter will be a lot more tough for me for one reason: It jumps from POV to POV every few minutes. I may have to have it focus on either Blake or Yang and how the Ragna dogfight will turn out.**

 **I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. What do you think? Leave a Favorite, Follow and/or Review.**

 **With that out of the way, I'm BlazefireDrago, signing out.**


	13. Our Feelings

**Disclaimer: RWBY is owned by Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth Productions, while Macross is owned by Shoji Kawamori and Studio Satelight.**

* * *

Maintenance wasn't something that she was used too if she lived like a normal person, but when Ember Celica was created, Yang made it a point to constantly check it over for any loose ends. Having a weapon was a must have for any Huntsman/Huntress back on Remnant, and she had always considered herself more of a brawler kind of fighter. Because of that, her point soon became a daily routine as her weapons would return from the combat zones battered and ruined, but still contact enough to smooth it out and make any minor adjustments.

The same can be applied to her prosthetic arm she obtained from Chaos upon entry from the Delta Platoon, making the blonde mentally thank Makina for this second chance in life. Looking at it closely, her arm resembles that of the Battroid of the VF-31 _Siegfried_ , making her more used to something that she'll see every day from then on. She initially had the mechanics do some minor adjustments after one of her training sessions, but after asking them on how to maintain it herself, even asking them to show her, she now had the skills necessary on maintaining the prosthetic.

Twisting in the screwdriver for the last few times for the day, she placed the tool down before flexing her mechanical limb, satisfied that it can move as smoothly as if it was her old arm. Nodding to herself, she grabbed the tools she used for maintenance before putting them in the case, sliding it underneath her bed. Getting up, she stretched her upper body before grabbing her Chaos jacket, putting up over her tank top that bares her hips. Looking herself over in the mirror, she smirked before leaving her dorm room, closing the door before bumping into someone.

"Oh, sorry, I wasn't paying attention to where I was… going…" she apologized before realizing who she bumped into. "Blake? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she dismissed, seeing the blonde's arm near her before grabbing it, getting back on her feet. "Shouldn't you be making any puns or jokes about cats landing on their feet?"

"I would, but I don't want any chances." She then sighed before looking at her partner. "Besides… I'm holding back on my puns until everything's calmed down." She then noticed one detail missing in Blake's hair. "Hey, you're not wearing your ribbon anymore. What happened?"

The faunas only sighed at her obvious question before answering. "After what happened at Voldor… I decided that it was time to let it go."

"Meaning that you're embracing who you are." The blonde then smiled as she understood her teammate, looking at her watch before glancing at Ruby's bedroom door. "Shouldn't we wake up Ruby?"

"I heard both her and Weiss left for Remnant on business." Blake's news shocked her. "Apparently, our team leader discovered something back home, and requested that she go take care of it."

"And he agreed?"

The faunas nodded, crossing her arms. "He did, but he didn't want her to go alone. He ordered Weiss to go along with her to Remnant and, in Arad's words, 'fish out the jellyfish before it grows out of control.'"

"That sounds like the commander, all right." Taking a deep breath, Yang glanced over towards her partner, lilac meeting amber. "Anyways, um, I was wondering… since I have the day off from Ragnyannyan, I was hoping… that we could, you know, hang out for the day?"

"What brought this on," she asked the blonde, forming a light blush on her face. "Not that I am against it, but why ask now? More importantly, why didn't you say it like you normally would?"

"Like I said, I'm taking a break from the puns." She then stood up straight to face the faunas. "Plus, with how the situation is going, like the ongoing Var riots and the war against Windermere, we may not get another chance like this. I mean, one of us could die during the conflict. Not like that will ever happen, but you may never know."

"I understand." Blake then turned to face the doorway. "Unfortunately, I'm going to have to decline. I'm going to Ragnyannyan to meet with Messer."

Yang's world was immediately shattered as she heard the Delta 02 pilot's name, making her look down to the floor in shame. She had a sneaking feeling that Blake would rather spend time with Messer than with her, considering how his training in the VF-31 allowed her to fly like the ace pilot of the platoon. Looking back up, she decided to adorn a light smile, unaware of Blake's reason.

"I'm sure he'd be happy to see you, Blake," she spoke up to her, confusing the raven haired girl. "I mean, you fly like he does, you both have serious attitudes… do I need to go on?"

"I'm not going because of any reason you thought up in your head, Yang," she answered back, being serious. "Let me tell you something. I know it's never any of my business, but from hearing the caption after the Randor debriefing… I believe that Messer is a Var infected."

The news shocked her teammate, who spit take at the railing before speaking up. "Wait, seriously? Messer, Our Messer… He's infected with the Var Syndrome?"

"Yes. I was going to ask him how he was feeling after what happened."

"OK, now I get it. You're worried that he may one day turn Var and be under Windermere's control." Sighing once more, she moved her mouth to speak out when her phone went off, forcing her to take it out and opening. Her eyes went wide as it was a message addressing both Walkure and the Delta Platoon, requiring them to meet at the _Elysion_ for an update. Putting it away, she glanced at Blake with a look saying that duty called.

"Captain call," Blake asked, getting a nod from Yang before sighing. "We better not keep him waiting."

* * *

"—Since then, the military stopped importing Windermerean galaxy apples and using water from the ruins."

When the two members of RWBY arrived, they were given the sight of the entirety of Walkure and most of the Delta Platoon, with Ernest standing with his arms crossed. Noticing the lack of Messer, Ruby and Weiss, the girls knew that their other teammates were at Remnant for some time before returning as well as thinking that Messer is in his room back at Chuck's restaurant. Taking their place between Chuck and Mirage, they stood in attention to learn about the recent news.

"When they tried to track down the suppliers, they have found nothing but dummy corporations," Arad finished his thoughts, allowing Kaname to speak up.

"Furthermore," she started off, going over the research notes. "Research has revealed that the Seidznole produced by the reaction between the water and those apples aids the growth of fold bacteria, thus accelerating the spread of the Var. The Var Syndrome is likely caused by such fold bacteria infecting the cells responsible for emitting and amplifying powerful emotions by means of subspace. This in turn results in turning people into a wild mob."

"Fold bacteria," Yang whispered to herself as the sound unit leader continued.

"All members of Walkure have been selected because we possess so-called fold receptors, which are capable of suppressing the activity of the fold bacteria."

"Huh? Me too," Freyja asked in surprise, getting an answer from Kaname.

"That's right. You included. That's how we are capable of calming the Var. Walkure auditions are, in a way, how we try to find people who possesses fold receptors."

"Now that you think about it, it kind of makes sense," Blake whispered to Yang. "What would happen if we lost Walkure?"

"Probably lose to the Aerial Knights," Yang answered her, keeping her attention to the higher ups.

"Hayate Immelmann," Arad addressed the young man, getting his attention. "You are also one such person."

"Wait, what," the blonde spoke up in shock as everyone looked at him.

"Hayate's one," Chuck questioned as well as Arad continued.

"Sorry. I never found a good time to break it to you until now."

"During the battle on Voldor," Kaname regained their attention, showing fold receptor readings of both Freyja and Hayate. "Hayate's receptor values skyrocketed. Looks like you and Freyja resonate with each other." She then took a look at both Blake and Yang. "While I'm at it, I might as well tell the both of you, and it concerns a certain Third Lieutenant of ours." She breathed out before continuing. "Yang Xiao Long, your sister, Ruby Rose, also possess fold receptors."

All eyes immediately went wide as both Walkure and the Delta Platoon stared at the blonde pilot, with Yang herself being more shocked than everyone else. She had always lightly joked around with Ruby, telling her that she was special, but hearing the news from the sound unit leader, she now knows how special Ruby truly is. She both mentally squealed and became worried at the same time as the young reaper continues leaving surprises for her.

"I'm sure you are aware of this," the redhead continued, regaining everyone's eyes. "On that night days after the Randor incident, when Ruby flew in the skies, you, Weiss and Blake all heard her singing. And it wasn't just you." She then sighed before continuing. "Even I heard her singing that night, and I saw her fold receptor values raise exponentially. I believe it may be stronger than Mikumo's. Is there anything we should know about Ruby, Sergeant?"

"I honestly don't know much myself, to be honest," Yang answered her before putting her hand on her chin. "However, I did hear a funny legend from uncle Qrow about the 'silver eyed warriors.' I thought it was just a fairy tale, but if it's connected to Ruby and the fold receptors…"

"Does this mean that you're transferring her to Walkure," Blake asked Walkure's leader, receiving a shaking head.

"No, we won't," she answered the faunas. "While it's true that her fold receptors are high enough to consider it, Ruby made her choice to be a pilot. Even now, whenever she flies in her VF-31, her skills continue to improve."

"Hold on," Chuck interrupted, getting back on topic. "If people with fold receptors, like Ruby and Hayate, are less prone to the Var, then what about us who don't have them?"

"You have the songs," Mikumo clued in, adding in her own thoughts. "As long as you're directly listening to my songs, you should be fine."

"Then what about the people who have already been infected by the Var," Mirage asked Kaname.

"There's no perfect treatment yet," she answered the half Zentradi. "They might also be affected by Windermere's song of the wind. And that's something that Ruby and Weiss are lessening on Remnant. Ruby discovered during her call with her father that Remnant, through unknown means, now have access to Windermerean apples and water from the ruins, hence, why she's unavailable as of now."

"The Third Lieutenant will make her report when she returns from Remnant," Arad spoke up. "If both the apples and the water are in fact the Seidznole catalysts, then the Alpha platoon will intervene and look into the suppliers. Dismissed!"

* * *

After the debriefing was over and everyone dispersed, Blake made sure to keep herself focused and head towards Ragnyannyan, where Messer will be waiting for her. Unfortunately, she was far behind on the idea as she spotted both Mirage and Hayate ahead of her, intent on speaking with the Grim Reaper themselves. Sighing, she stayed behind them as they entered the Ragnan restaurant, going towards and entering the room as the faunas stood by the door. She then used her faunas hearing to listen in to the pilots' conversation, hoping to learn about how Messer was infected.

"First Lieutenant Messer," she heard Mirage start off, looking at the door as the half Zentradi spoke to him. "We would like to have a word with you."

"A word with me," he asked them, getting a nod from both her and Hayate. "A waste of time, but go ahead."

"Two years ago, the Var wiped out a planet called… Alfheim," she got right to the point, shocking Hayate as Blake's eyes went wide. "I heard you're from the town of Marienburg, but survived the massacre. I'd hate to ask you this, but could it be that you were infected there already?"

Blake could only gasp when she heard the news as Hayate spoke up. "Should I tell the captain then about what's happening to you?"

"You are correct," Messer confirmed Mirage's point, keeping his eyes closed. "I have turned Var once before, and the captain already knows."

"He does? All he ever talks about is jellyfish."

"Does he also know you're showing symptoms again," The Jenius pilot asked him, only to receive silence from the ace and prompting Hayate to speak up.

"Then, what are you going to do?"

"Return to service," he bluntly answered the young man.

"But you can't—"

"Enough." Messer then stood back up in front of the pilots. "Return to base."

"But—" Mirage started as Messer pointed towards the door, hearing an irritated Hayate as he made his way out.

"Forget about it. He's not going to listen—" He stopped his thoughts as he laid eyes on something on his desk, walking over to see what it was. Upon closer inspection, he made it out to be a type of audio bracelet, making him remember that the Grim Reaper had it on his wrist during each of their operations. He then picked it to see the bracelet up close, noticing the middle of it being made of a different material than the surrounding metal.

"DON'T TOUCH THAT," Messer shouted at the young man, causing him to lose his grip on the bracelet. Trying to regain his hold on it, he reached out in the air to grab it, only to see it bounce off his hands before landing on the ground. It then rolled on the floor of the room before spinning on its edges to a stop, activating the playback settings on the device.

To Hayate, Mirage and Blake, the song was completely unknown to them, but to Messer, it was a reminder of why he joined the Delta Platoon. The song itself was done by Walkure when they saved him on Alfheim, leaving him in debt to the sound unit, specifically Kaname. Even if it's been two years, he still feels that the debt must be repaid. He glanced over to see Mirage pick up the bracelet with her right hand, walking over towards her.

"Is that Walkure," Mirage asked out loud, getting a shake from Hayate before looking back at it. "This voice… it's Kaname's."

She didn't get out another word in time as Messer took the bracelet out of her hands, slipping it back in his wrist as he spoke. "Don't tell anyone about me." He then turned around when Mirage asked him why, only to receive him bowing down in front of her and the young man. "Please."

The two pilots could only look at each other before nodding to his pleas, taking their leave out of the ace pilot's room. The man can only sigh as he heard their footsteps getting quieter and quieter, looking at the bracelet with the one song built into it. He then noticed another pair of footsteps entering his room, making him look up to see Blake standing in front of him with a sad look on her face. His only guess was that she had figured out what was wrong with him.

"I take it that you heard everything," he asked the faunas, getting a nod from her in the process. "I see. I didn't mean to hide this from you, Blake. I thought I could keep on flying without the fear of turning Var. However…"

"Messer…" Blake started, unsure of what to say. "About what Hayate and Mirage said… was it… was it all true?"

He could only look down to her question before sighing, nodding as he looked back into her eyes. "It's true. What happened two years ago on Alfheim… that was when I first became a Var infected." He then looks at the bracelet. "I owe my life to Delta and Walkure. If they hadn't been there…"

"You would have died back then…" The faunas then looked down before sitting down beside him. "If the symptoms are coming back, then why won't you tell everyone?"

"I do not want to worry everyone about my own health." He then looked up to the ceiling, picturing the skies. "I'm hard on the platoon, but I am only criticizing the way they fly so that they'll live in future encounters." He then grips his own arm. "However, I fear that I may approach my limit in the future… Blake… if that were to happen, I want you to kill me."

Her eyes immediately went wide over what he was saying; shocked that he would even say such a thing. She knows that the Var Syndrome was dangerous enough as it is, but she would never dream of a time where she has to kill the Grim Reaper pilot. Shaking her head and wiping her eyes and face of any tears, she looked into his eyes firmly and grasped his shoulders.

"I'm sorry, Messer," She spoke up with force, keeping her gaze on him. "But that is an order I cannot follow. I'll do everything in my power to keep you safe… so please… stop talking as if you're going to die tomorrow." She then let go of his shoulders before standing up. "As a Specialist, all I ask you to do is the rest. We'll see you again back at the _Elysion._ "

With that said, she left his room to allow him to gather his thoughts during the time of rest. Mentally, she was worried if she would be able to carry out her claim to protect him during the war against Windermere. Not only was he painted a target by the White Knight, but she was also targeted due to her skill in piloting her Valkyrie. Her thoughts were broken as she felt her phone vibrate in her jacket pocket, making her pick it up to see what it was.

Her eyes went wide in awe as the message to her was a notification from the mechanics teams back on the Macross fortress, letting both her and Yang know that both Projects: 'Yellow' and 'Black' were ready for combat deployment. She then remembered back to the Ionedeth encounter, where she saw Ruby deploy a Valkyrie sized Crescent Rose, believing that the message meant she can use Gambol Shroud through her _Siegfried_ now. She also thought about the change for Yang's fighter, thinking it's going to be extra shielding for the Battroid's arms.

Going over the schematics of Project: 'Black' on her phone, the young faunas unknowingly passed by her blonde teammate as she made her way out of the restaurant. Gazing at the direction she came from, Yang could only frown as Blake came from Messer's room, realizing that she had talked to him about his Var infection. Shaking her head, she gave out her best smile as the next set of customers came in to take their orders.

* * *

Overlooking the data on Gale's progress during the recent battles, something had piqued Lloyd's interest over the reawakened Windermerean's thought patterns. He had initially sent her in along with Keith's Aerial Knights over to Ionedeth to fly in and destroy any VF-171 _Nightmares_ unaffected by the Song of the Wind, but when it went after and engaged one of the intruding VF-31s and the famed White Rose's VF-25 _Messiah_ , Something had intrigued him as to why. Even on Voldor, when he specifically ordered her not to engage in battle with the Delta Platoon and Walkure, the pilot disobeyed and fought the same fighter from the previous battle.

Gazing at her eyes as he made his observations, he began to ponder whether to increase his control over her thought process, mentally nodding to himself as he checked her vitals. Aside from the way she was thinking, he couldn't find anything out of the ordinary with her vitals. He made a note to himself to observe the battle footage of both confrontations as he closed the programs surrounding him, looking at the vivid green eyes of the Windermerean Pilot.

"Well, it looks like nothing is abnormal here," He bluntly told her. "You are green across the board. You may go tend to your fighter now."

She nodded to him as she stood up out of her seat, making her way out of Lloyd's study over to the Draken loading bay. She was immediately seen by the current White Knight as Keith approached the study, intent on speaking with the chancellor. Giving her one of his no nonsense glares, she escaped his sight as he entered the room, walking towards the Windermerean male with an update on the apples and the water.

"That False Windermerean will be the end of us, one day," he muttered out loud, making sure that Lloyd heard him before addressing formally. "Lloyd, it seems we have a situation. The Earthlings have found out how we're transferring the Var. The military has seized our transports of Windermerean apples and the water from the ruins."

"I see," he nonchalantly spoke up, looking over his reports. "However, there is no need for concern. Even if the N.U.N.S. has control over our exports, we have already supplied the planets with enough apples ad water."

"They found out about the ruins as well."

"So what?" he then placed the reports gently before grabbing his glass of wine. "Without the Wind Singer, they are nothing more than just glorified rocks."

"I see." Keith's focus then moved on to his next topic. "Also, why do you focus on Her of all people?"

"Are you referring to Gale?"

"I am." He then turned around fully to face him, his back towards the window. "Why assign her over to my forces, Lloyd? We were doing just fine without her."

"The Delta Platoon had increased their man power with four additional pilots. One of them, the one you call 'Belladonna' just so happens to be part of their extra forces."

"Regardless, they will all fall to our wind." He then stepped forward. "However, I will not have the wind tainted by a Windermerean who once lived as a pathetic Earthling."

"I understand your concerns, Keith. However, I have assured you that I have it all taken care of. As it stands, she sees the Earthlings as the enemy. Her loyalty to Windermere's cause, as well as her friendship with his highness, makes her an asset more than a liability."

No matter how much he could argue, he can't argue against the chancellor's point about Gale. It was true that she was once a loyal friend to the king, Gramia, back when they were of the same age. However, his hatred for her as she once lived another life as a human being runs deep in the prideful Windermerean's veins. The White Knight firmly believes that if something were to, then she would betray the cause and fight against the Aerial Knights.

Deciding to end his conversation with the chancellor, he made his way out of the study as Lloyd called out to him. "Where are you going?"

"To investigate. We're short on time," Keith simply told him, glancing at the scientist. "Do not worry. We won't need the Song of the Wind, and that False Windermerean will be staying behind."

With that said, the White Knight of Darwent made his way out of his study, allowing Lloyd to sigh before glancing over Gale's files. Opening them, he glanced over the memories he had wiped from her mind before placing them in his personal systems. With how she has acted on the encounters, he looked over towards the combat data, taking an interest on the emblem of the VF-31 _Siegfried_ she fought at both Ionedeth and Voldor.

"A rose…" he muttered to himself before playing one of the memories, watching it play as it took on a scene of a fairground. Watching it, he can't help but be curious as to how and why the awakened Windermerean would choose to fight the rose fighter. He immediately got his answer when the memory footage displayed showed a young girl in black and red clothing, seeing the same emblem embedded into the belt she was wearing. Nodding to himself, he shut off the memory and began to plan further ahead, thinking of a way to deal with the rose before Gale begins to remember.

* * *

As another night arrived at Ragna, Yang couldn't help but think about the gap that's been growing between her and Blake. She's already made peace with her after her duel with her before their first assignment on Al Shahal, but a small part of her wanted her to be closer to the faunas. However, when she kept seeing her with Messer, whether it was during a mission or on their downtime, that small part in her conscience began to wither away.

Speaking of Messer, Earlier in the day, when Yang was at the _Elysion_ going over the look of Project: 'Yellow' with Chuck and Mirage, she saw the Grim Reaper walk over and informing them that it was time for combat training with their VF-31s. At first, she was getting excited over the idea, only for fear to come in when he told her that it was going to be a five on one match between him and Delta, being informed that Arad will watch from the control room while Ruby and Weiss were on their way back from Remnant. Regardless, the platoon's fighters were covered with red paint splatter with the Delta 02's _Siegfried_ unchanged, and the pilots came to the conclusion that he was training for his next skirmish with the White Knight.

Sighing to herself, she left Ragnyannyan as her shift ended for the night, passively walking in the quiet streets of Barrette City. Thoughts of her partner plagued her mind as the view of the ocean stayed visible for her, making her stop beside a nearby building as the thoughts grew in size. Shouting in frustration, she punched the wall with her bare hand, leaving a small crack on the exterior before breathing heavily.

"Damn," she cursed herself as the thoughts subsided. "I thought I would be OK with this… Guess she left more of an impression on me."

Chuckling lightly, she glanced over towards her fist embedded to the wall, not surprised to see a small trail of blood pouring from her knuckle. While she missed having her aura activated, she knew it was a sacrifice needed to prevent catching the Var Syndrome. Withdrawing her fist out of the building, she took out the debris out of her knuckles before flexing it, satisfied as she can still use her hand. Continuing her walk, the blonde made enough distance until she reached the beach, sitting down on the sands as the waves of the ocean echoed into her ears.

"I must feel like crap," she muttered out to herself, looking at her hand. "I never thought I would develop feelings for Blake like this." She then lowered her hand before looking at the sky. "Beforehand, I thought it would be a joke. Me, falling in love with another girl? Who would have thought that would be possible."

"That is a pretty good question," she jumped as she heard a masculine voice, turning to see her boss, Chuck. "How's it swimming, Yang?"

"Chuck, don't scare me like that." She then sighed as the Ragnan sat down with a takeout case in his hands, watching the nighttime ocean waves. "So… I guess you heard me?"

"Yeah," he answered, pulling out two bowls of ramen before handing one over to Yang. "So 'Sun Dragon,'" he started with the nickname his family gave her, "What sort of troubles are you facing now?"

"Since when does a boss care about how I'm feeling," she asked him with mock sarcasm.

"When his employee just so happens to be a fellow pilot in the Delta Platoon," He pointed out, taking a bite out of his ramen. "So what's wrong, anyways? You looked so out of it, recently."

"Where to start…" She sat down beside, digging into her ramen. "Well, I… I have feelings for this certain someone that's close to me… But… she seems to have feelings for someone else…"

"Ahh, a tale of love."

"A love that may never be returned to me." She then looks up in the sky. "At first, I have only seen love as a way to achieve happiness, but… I realized that obtaining it… It's harder than what every romance novel and movie made it out to be."

"Then again, novels and movies are mostly seen as a form of fiction," Chuck reminded her, looking up to the skies. "However, there are some films that are based on actual events, like the movie, Bird Human."

"Bird Human? What sort of name is that?"

"Can't really say, but the movie was made eight years ago before the Vajra war started." Yang's eyes went wide as the Ragnan continued. "The movie basically is a retelling of legend of a legendary pilot, Shin Kudo, the Mayan princess Sara Nome and her sister Mao Nome, the grandmother of the Galactic Fairy, Sheryl Nome."

"I'm guessing the movie has some sort of love triangle between those three?"

"Yup. The film also had an altered VF-25 _Messiah_ in it, changed so that it resembles one of the first ever Valkyries ever designed. While the VF-1 Variable Fighters can be considered the Grandfathers, they were based on the prototype VF-0 _Phoenix_."

"Really," She asked in awe. "Whatever happened to them in real life?"

"No one knows," he sighs, finishing his ramen with her. "People say that Sara sacrificed her life to save her island, and Mao disappeared some time before the Vajra War started. And no one other than Mao knows what happened to Shin."

"I see."

"Even if some of the moments in the movie was exaggerated, it really is a must watch. I would highly recommend it."

"Thanks, boss," she thanked him before making up her mind, finishing her ramen before standing up. "I made up my mind. I'm going to tell Blake how I honestly feel my own way. No using clichés, and no sappy romantic speeches."

"Atta girl, Yang," Chuck spoke up, standing up beside her.

"Thanks, Chuck," she thanked her Ragnan co-pilot. "I owe you one."

"Just helping out my employee—" He was about to finish when the both of them heard the alarm buzzed to life all over the city, shocking them with the sudden development. The warning then came in through their phones, beckoning to head over to the Macross _Elysion_ posthaste. The blonde then looked back up to the sky, going wide eyed as six distinct fire balls plummeted down to the surface. It didn't take her too long to know that it was the Aerial Knights flying towards them, so she nodded at the same time as Chuck before rushing off towards the towering fortress.

While they made their way over to base, meeting up with the other pilots and Freyja in the process, the command center of the fortress was brimming to life as the bridge operators began their own system checks. Ernest sat at his command chair in thought, wondering why the Windermerean Aerial Knights would show up at Ragna. His thoughts were shattered as the girls began to announce their findings.

"Captain," Mizuki spoke up first, bringing up her findings on her moniters. "The Aerial Knights apparently de-folded inside our air defences."

"What about the Song of the Wind," the Zentradi asked out loud, getting an answer from Nina.

"No readings, sir. No Var reports so far as well."

The captain of Ragna's Chaos division then smirked, taking note of the _Elysion_ 's missing arm. "So, we gotta deal with them without _Hemera._ "

"Just you watch, Walkure and Delta Platoon," Bogue announced as the Aerial Knight's Drakens launched solar flares upwards until they created Windermere's coat of arms. "The Aerial Knights have arrived."

As the Aerial Knights loomed closer towards the Macross fortress, the VF-31 _Siegfrieds_ were already locked on the launching bays of the _Aether_ , allowing the pilots to adjust to their positions. When Yang looked over towards Blake's Valkyrie, she was surprised to see that the wings, while still being forward-swept-winged, resembled more like the blade of Blake's Gambol Shroud. She then looked towards the front, keeping her gaze at the Windermerean coat of arms.

"They're taunting us," she heard Hayate mutter out in the comms, nodding as she agreed with him while the launching procedures slowly finished. Grasping her controls, she put on the pair of glasses that had the specs for Project: Yellow, taking deep breaths as the thrusters came to life. She then gave one more glance towards Blake's Valkyrie, nodding to herself that she has to tell her about her feelings.

"Delta Platoon," she heard Arad call out on the comm, steeling herself for the battle. "Take off."

With the order given, the Delta Platoon launched off of the _Aether_ into the skies, flying towards the incoming Windermereans to commence a dog fight on their home turf. Luckily, without hearing the Song of the Wind, the pilots were more than capable of fighting the Aerial Knights without the thought of taking on the Var. The only people that worried about the case of a Var outbreak is Blake, Hayate and Mirage, who all knows the truth about Messer's condition.

While the Delta Platoon flew closer to take on their adversaries, the members of Walkure could do nothing but watch the battle unfold. Freyja, wanting to go out and sing with the sound unit, stood beside Mikumo as the mysterious Venus had a visible smirk on her face, annoyed in her own way that Windermere is trying to take away her spotlight. The Windermerean girl then wondered if Hayate will be OK, gulping down air as her gaze was locked on the screen.

"The Song of the Wind has yet to be heard," Kaname brought up, keeping her gaze on the fight. "We should stand by for the time being."

"Trying to steal my stage," Mikumo commented on the Aerial Knight's movements. "They've sure got the guts."

When the _Siegfrieds_ got closer towards the Drakens away from the city, Messer immediately locked his sight towards the White Knight, taking in the pilot's name as he muttered out the Windermerean's call sign. Keith had the same idea as the Grim reaper approached his SV-262 at an alarming rate, and once the fighters broke off, he immediately escalated in the skies with the VF-31, starting another skirmish with his worthy rival. Both pilots exchanged fire between each other, and while the Windermerean kept calm, the Delta 02 pilot started to breathe heavily as he tried to stay locked on the machine.

Already taking note that her fellow pilot needed help, Blake maneuvered her own VF-31 over towards the skirmish, opening fire on the Draken engaged with Messer. The White Knight's rune glowed as he saw the incoming bullets, managing to dodge the projectiles and taking a gaze at her Valkyrie. He hummed at awe over the change in design in the _Siegfried_ 's wings, chuckling as he couldn't wait to see what they do. Breaking off from his engagement with the Grim Reaper, he sets his sights on Belladonna's machine, returning fire as she dodged the bullets, passing him by before engaging both her and Delta 02.

While Blake and Messer hand their hands tied with the White Knight's fighter, Yang was showing that over each encounter, she has improved in her own way as a pilot, shifting over to Gerwalk mode and opened fire on Qasim's SV-262. He was forced to dodge her fire as he dispatched the drones off his wings, launching towards the blonde brawler's fighter. Reacting quickly, she activated the barrier system installed, blocking the bullets as she returned the gesture, destroying one of the Windermerean drones as the second drew near. It launched a volley of missiles heading towards her, forcing Yang to switch to Battroid mode and block the missiles.

Her attempts resulted in her Valkyrie being engulfed in the explosion, making the 26 year old Windermerean close his eyes as the Draken and the drone flew close to it. His rune then glowed as he went wide eyed, looking out to see Yang's _Siegfried_ unharmed as she prepped the Battroid's heavily armored fist, punching and destroying the drone. She then shifted the armored portion to resemble the Draken's primary weapons, firing on the Windermerean fighter and forcing it to fly away from her. She smirked as her method had worked before another warning came up, forcing her to turn her machine and taking out another drone sent after her with the _Siegfried_ 's fist before shifting into Fighter mode, flying off to cover her fellow pilots.

Glancing upwards, she can already see that Hayate managed to keep Chuck safe from one of the Drakens, destroying one of the mounted drones before engaging Bogue's machine in the dogfight. She then saw the ongoing skirmish between Blake, Messer and the White Knight's fighters, seeing as how her teammate fire at the Draken more than Messer was. While the blonde was awestruck at how the faunas handled herself, Blake still couldn't land a hit on the SV-262 while keeping an eye on the Grim Reaper's _Siegfried._

Gaining an idea in her head, the raven haired girl continued to open fire on the White Knight, gaining speed on the machine until she surpassed the fighter, flying ahead of the Windermerean. Keith could only stare and wonder as to wonder what Belladonna was up to, only for his rune to glow bright as the VF-31 shifted into Battroid mode and positioned its hand by its back as if to draw out a blade. As his fighter got closer to the Chaos fighter, his rune immediately changed color, causing him to jerk his Draken to the side as the _Siegfried_ drew out a blade from its back, slicing one of the mounted drones in half.

"Impressive, Belladonna," Keith muttered in praise as his opponent shifted the blade to resemble a handgun, causing him to fly further away from Blake's rain of fire before Messer's unit got close to him. In his mind, he was ecstatic to know that both of his rivals provided another challenge as he dodged the bullets coming from both the Grim Reaper and Belladonna Valkyries, launching one of the drones and making it fire on the Delta 08 pilot. Cursing herself, Blake placed her fighter's weapon back in place before switching into Fighter mode, flying away from the drone and allowing Keith to keep his duel against Delta 02 a one on one fight.

Cursing to himself as the White Knight was behind him, the skilled ace pilot of the Delta Platoon arched his fighter until regaining his speed, locking onto the SV-262 in front of him before firing upon it. Hearing comm chatter between Arad and the squad echo, he kept unleashing a barrage of bullets on the Windermerean before letting out a battle cry of his own. However, the effects of his ailment began to kick in as his breathing became hectic, with the veins in his face slowly appearing under the skin. As the Var slowly started taking hold of him, he let out a loud scream in the comms, alerting the Delta Platoon and shocking Blake in the process.

"Messer," Arad called out to him, looking at his fighter while continuously fighting Herman's Draken. "What's wrong?" He got no answer as Messer's screaming continued, alarming the commander of the worst before connecting to the _Elysion_. "Crap… Captain, I'm requesting Walkure deployment."

"Huh, what's wrong," Ernest asked out in the command center.

"Hurry! It's Messer!"

"WHAT?"

"Wha… Did something happen to Messer," Kaname asked out in shock before looking at the sound unit. "We're doing this, Walkure."

As the singers instantly changed into their appropriate attire for their deployment, the Valkyrie duel between Messer and Keith reached out over the clouds of Ragna, with each of the fighters firing and dodging one another. The Grim Reaper, while still behind the White Knight and suffering from the Var Syndrome's hold, continued to pursue and maintain his speed, allowing him to not lose sight of the SV-262. The sound of Walkure's song, **僕らの戦場** **,** began to echo out into the battlefield to relief of the Delta Platoon.

Despite the song being played out to the battle in the hopes of suppressing the Var, it hasn't begun its reaction in Messer's body as he remained focused on the White Knight; soaring passed the Draken as the fighters flew up in the sky, leaving a trail of explosions behind. While he was lacking one of the drones, Keith had no problems with maintaining his own speed as he kept launching volleys of missiles at Delta 02, smirking as his rival shot them down in succession. As they began to drop down to the surface of Ragna, the Var Syndrome fully manifested in him, resulting in his muscles bulging out and his face twisted in blind rage. Regardless, he kept his sights on the Windermerean fighter and unleashing a barrage of bullets.

As the song progressed in the battle, Kaname took the chance to call out to the Grim Reaper, hoping that her words would reach out to him, only to see no change. Determined, the redhead of the sound unit kept singing out in the hopes of saving Messer, and in some form of luck, he finally snapped out of his trance as he heard the girl's voice. Glancing back at the Draken, he took note that the fighter stalled slightly until it was behind the VF-31, firing on the Delta 02 machine in the hopes of taking him down. Reacting quickly, he maneuvered his _Siegfried_ out of the way of the bullets until his fighter was in front of the crescent moon in the skies.

"He dodged it," Keith complimented with a smirk before his rune glowed, forcing him to dodge incoming fire from Chuck and Blake before flying off. While the White Knight flew off from the duel, the sound of Walkure's song infuriated Bogue as his Draken flew closer to the waters, closing in and painting a target on the Macross _Elysion_. His runes glowed a blood red as his anger reached its peak, getting passed the Island ship before speeding off towards the towering fortress.

"SHUT YOUR TRAPS," he shouted out as his fighter got noticed by Mirage and Hayate, getting closer to the sound unit. "Do me a favor… AND DROWN IN BLOOD!"

With his declaration, he released the drones attached to his SV-262 Draken before flying off, programming them to launch a large volley of missiles towards Walkure's position at the _Elysion_. However, his hopes of killing the singers were ruined as Hayate and Mirage opened fire on the explosions, destroying and stopping them from reaching the target. He immediately cursed out as the drones reattached themselves on the Windermerean fighter, rejoining the battle between the Aerial Knights and the Delta Platoon.

While Walkure continued to sing out, their songs effect reached out to Messer completely, subduing the Var Syndrome in his body and returning him to his senses. He muttered out Kaname's name as he kept flying in the skies, and while the fight continued, the song began to resonate with the Protoculture ruins underwater. The readings went unnoticed as Theo recorded them in his own Draken, not taking part in the battle before flying off.

"The ruins are intact," he called out to his fellow Knights. "We can make the wind blow anytime."

"Copy that. Good news," Herman acknowledged before his rune briefly glowed, making him look over to see VF-31 _Kairos_ models flying in. "Enemy reinforcements?"

"Then the tides have turned against us," Keith calmly pointed out before pulling out of the fight, flying upwards. "All units, return to the branch—" his runes then glowed harshly, forcing him to dodge incoming fire as the familiar sight of both Ruby and Weiss' VF-31 _Siegfried_ s came down from orbit.

"Sorry we're late," Ruby called out to the Delta Platoon, shifting her Valkyrie over to Battroid Mode. "Weiss and I heard Walkure as we came down. Did the Var strike?"

"Actually, you're just in time, sis," Yang called out, smiling as her little sister got to her fighter. "The Windermereans caught us by surprise, but they're now backing off."

"Aww, I missed it?" The young reaper pouted before getting serious, pulling out Project: 'Red' in sniper mode. "Then allow me to give them a 'Return Home' present."

Having her sights locked on to the White Knight's retreating fighter, she opened fire on the far off Draken, surprising her division as one of the bullets impacted and destroyed not only the remaining drone, but severing the wing off his machine. Even with the clipped part, the White Knight continued to fly off with the Aerial Knights, leaving the Delta Platoon and the reinforcements in the skies. They all then decided to fly back over to the Macross _Elysion_ , hoping to relax for the rest of the night.

When the docked in the hangers on board the _Aether_ , Yang saw her little sister walk over to her with Weiss, high fiving each other as they welcomed the returning pilots. They then glimpsed over to see Messer exit his own _Siegfried_ , only to stumble before getting caught by Arad. Just the way he was breathing told the white rose pair as to why Walkure was singing in the battle.

"Messer," Arad spoke up, already chosen his words wisely. "You're at your limit."

"I know…" was all that Messer could say to his commanding officer, already knowing that there may be no turning back the next time. The girls then thought about how Blake will react, thinking that she may be heartbroken about the next turn of events. As for Yang, her decision to break out her feelings to her partner wavered, looking off to the side as she see the raven haired faunas looking at the Grim Reaper.

In the end, Blake's mind could only focus on one thing only: Messer.

* * *

 **A/N: It took a while, but I was able to get this done. Now, it seems Messer's under a lot of pressure as of this moment, and Blake doesn't know what to do. Along with that, Yang's feelings for her faunas teammate is… let's just say things got more complicated.**

 **Now… I'm just gonna go ahead and say it: The next chapter after this one will probably land me with a lot of hate with what I have planned up. Before it gets started, I want to say that I have had some talks with my coworkers about how the direction will be handled, and they brought up some points and thoughts as to how I will type it, and this is it: Along with Messer, someone from RWBY's side will be… you get the idea, so that's why I'm saying I might get some hate later on because of it. Regardless, it's something I have come up with, and talked about with the guys at work.**

 **Review replies:**

 **Alexwu704:** _ **The questions for the Remnant arc**_

 _ **Jaune, Nora and Ren will appear as cameo or as support characters as well as Salem with Cinder.**_

 _ **They be going back to Remnant and will the Delta squad and Walkure will learn how to use aura and semblance to survive on Remnant**_

 _ **3\. Will they go to Vale to help to deal with the Grimm infestation in the city**_

 _ **Ironwood try to do something in that arc as well**_

 _ **5\. Last one: What about Qrow? Is he going play a critical role for this arc?**_

 _ **Thank you**_

 **Um… I think you might need to work on the spelling a bit, but I think I have a grasp on your questions. 1. JN(P)R will be support characters and Salem and Cinder may have a cameo. I say that because I have plans for them. 2. It's already been shown that aura works as a form of amplifier for the Song of the Wind. Besides… They're better off without them. 3. Uhh… The Grimm are still in hiding from plain sight? Ever since Mistral, the Grimm dropped off the map. 4. Obviously, Ironwood would try something, but he has no experience on the Var Syndrome or the Aerial Knights. Meaning, he's going to fail. 5. No critical role for Qrow. Sorry.**

 **Guest:** _ **Glad to see you included my comment, thanks!**_

 _ **And no, you're not "seeing things", as the VF-31As are based on the YF-30 Chronos, so it's no surprise to see the similarities.**_

 _ **Another thing I forgot to mention: apparently, Delta wing also uses VF-31A Kairos to guard Walküre in their early days, and they switched only around the same time after Mikumo "joined"(SPOILER, lol) the group. So, in your story, either Makina upgraded the RWBY's machines to Siegfrieds, or they're using the late members' old Kairos(with custom weapons)**_

 **You may actually be onto something. Remind me to do a little updating on my earlier chapters. And thanks for letting me know that I'm not seeing things. I think I did the same in the chapter when Chuck talked about the events of Macross: Zero.**

 **Marcus the Kane:** _ **bzzzzttt...**_

 _ **Welcome back! Been a while since I read a new chapter of this fic, it's worth the wait.**_

 _ **bzzxxxtt...**_

 **Uh… EHH?**

 **XY Kid:** _ **Sorry about Marcus' weird style of review, he has been doing that gimmick for a while. Anyways, nice to read a new chapter of this fic, it's really good and somewhat fresh. Keep it up.**_

 **OK, thanks for clearing up Marcus' review. And thanks for the words of encouragement. I also saw that Marcus started up an account. Will you and him start doing up your own stories?**

 **Yuiharime:** _ **Oh how lovely is this chapter. Too bad, Messer's impending fate is just above the horizon. That would be a sad moment.**_

 **Yeah, and it's going to be a lot sadder when I start, finish and publish the next chapter. Hence, why I believe I'm going to get hate for it.**

 **Tendaysromeo:** _ **I welcome you back. The new chapter was worth the wait. By the way, have you ever thought about writing a chapter that focuses on Hayate and Freyja? And when is Weiss going to sing?**_

 **Thank you. Um, I have thought about a chapter that focused on just them, but honestly, I don't know how to work it out. And for your second question, while I'm not supposed to do this, I'll say that Weiss will sing in Arc four.**

 **Wee-0wee-0:** _ **Great chapter. And glad with the new chapter.**_

 **I'm just happy that you guys are reading them. It just goes to show that when I grabbed the attention, I have to keep it up, even with the obstacles in front of me.**

 **I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. What do you think? Leave a Favorite, Follow and Review. (No more 'or')**

 **With that out of the way, I'm BlazefireDrago, signing out.**


	14. 閃光のAXIA

**Disclaimer: RWBY is owned by Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth Productions, while Macross is owned by Shoji Kawamori and Studio Satelight.**

* * *

As the winds of Windermere picked up as the snowfall worsened to the point of a blizzard, the Windermerean people continued their hard labor on their daily choirs. They have grown accustomed to the point where the snow never bothered their body heat, allowing them to live on with their daily lives. However, the same cannot be said for the Windermerean forces visitor, as a middle aged man of Al Shahal descent walked out of his shuttle to enter castle Darwent.

The man, from an ordinary glance, appears to be a civilian wanting a tour of the castle, but to the Aerial Knights, he was their main supplier and informant of both science and technology. Tasked with examining the Protoculture ruins buried in Windermere, _Sigur Valens_ , he has come to give his reports over to the bedridden Gramia and the Windermerean forces. Glancing over to the side, he could only smirk as the cold air met his face as four mobile cases followed the man.

"The wind today is even fierce than usual," he only commented before looking over the entrance, surprised to see a red head female Windermerean standing guard. "Oh, a lady Aerial Knight? This world has certainly been busy."

He then continued on to face the young woman, with his eyes gazing upon her vivid green irises. He can already tell that despite her position, she was skilled enough to be a part of the White Knight forces. Seeing another Windermerean walk out, he passed the woman as he made his way over to the knight, informing him of his purpose on the castle.

"I have come to speak with His Highness on a certain matter," He told the knight. "Inform Lord Lloyd of my presence as well."

"Of course, sir," The knight answered back as he raised his hand to his chest palm down before looking at the woman. "Gale, escort this man over to the King's chambers. I'll inform the chancellor." He then fished out his communicator as the woman bowed, leading the elderly male into the castle as he connected to the chancellor. "Lord Lloyd?"

"What is it," the chancellor called out from his chambers.

"Mr. Berger Stone of the Epsilon Foundation has arrived."

"I see." Lloyd then pushed his glasses upwards. "I'll make my way over to the royal chambers at once."

He then severed his connection off from the knight before sighing, putting down his own results on Gale's predicament. So far, he has come up with nothing to ensure her loyalty to Keith's forces without going after the rose pilot of the Delta Platoon. He then looked over to the memories he had witnessed on his saved files on the White Knight's replacement, placing down what he has gathered on the Earthling form of Gale. His thoughts on the matter was placed on hold as he closed the files before exiting his own quarters, curious on what Berger has up his sleeve now.

Going through the hallways of Castle Darwent, he immediately entered the chambers of the weakening Gramia Nehrich Windermere, surprised to see Gale standing by at the wall. Passing her, he made his way over to the king's bedside, standing beside the robed Berger as his gaze met the sickly elder Windermerean. Eventually, the White Knight Keith Aero Windermere made his presence known as he entered the chambers, giving another glare over to Gale before standing beside Lloyd.

"Forgive me for my belated arrival, your Majesty," Keith announced as he knelt down before Gramia. "There was an urgent matter I had to attend to in regards to my fighter."

"An urgent matter," Gramia asked the young pilot, who only nodded before continuing.

"Yes, your Majesty." He then began his recap on the operation on Ragna. "Before our main assault on the world of Al Shahal, I have taken my forces on a reconnaissance mission on the ocean world of Ragna, the home of the dreaded Walkure and their guardians, the Delta Platoon. While my forces were dealing with the defences, one of my knights, Theo Justilla, have confirmed the presence of the Protoculture ruins. This makes Ragna a key point in our war."

"Then what does that have to do with your 'business,' Keith," Lloyd interjected, getting a glare from the blonde male.

"After confirmation, the tides of the wind turned against us as enemy reinforcements appeared in the skies. I gave the order to return to the branch, but I didn't anticipate two of the defenders firing from orbit. Despite getting away, one of them, a fighter with a red rose emblem, managed to clip one of my wings. Hence, my delayed arrival to this meeting."

"Oh my, the famed White Knight of Darwent, losing one of his wings in battle," Berger spoke up, intrigued with the report. "I guess that means that even with years of experience, you can't shrug off a lucky shot."

"Do you wish to be cut down by my blade," the White Knight retorted, getting up while drawing his sabre before being stopped by Gramia.

"There's no need for hostilities, Keith," the weary king spoke up before addressing the visitor. "Now, what do you wish to report, Stone?"

"Thank you, your Highness, for allowing me to speak." Berger stood up in attention before addressing once more. "It is in regards to the Protoculture ruins under the surface of the planet, particularly, the sound system developed and used by the Wind Singer. We have made adjustments necessary to assist Windermere in taking control of the ruins present on other planets. With them, the system itself will amplify the power of the Song of the Wind."

"Amplify the power of the Song of the Wind?"

"Yes. I believe that, with those adjustments made, it is possible for His Highness, Prince Heinz, to easily sway the worlds in your favor. Consider it an apology for falling so far behind on analyzing the Protoculture's systems."

"But," Lloyd started, getting their attention. "If we use something like that, it would place a greater burden on His Highness' body!"

"That is fine," Gramia silenced the chancellor, allowing the visitor to continue.

"The analysis of _Sigur Valens_ ' capabilities is 45% done. Your patience shall be rewarded."

"Fine," Gramia concluded, closing his eyes. "The wind shall blow."

* * *

A few nights have passed since the Aerial Knights had made their attack in the skies, and although the threat of another Windermerean invasion was possible, the people of Ragna spent the current night in celebration. Stalls were set up near the coastal shores, ranging from food stands to carnival games, attracting the populace over to enjoy the festivities. To complete the feel, most of the lamp posts were covered with jellyfish looking drapes, connecting the small lines of lights all around the festival.

Along with the populace celebrating the festival, the members of the Delta Platoon, Hayate, Mirage, Chuck and Yang, manned their own stall selling Nyannyan buns to the people. They all smiled out to the front of the stall as the Ragnan's three siblings Zack, Hack and Elizabeth all called out to the wondering festival goers. They also had a laugh as Makina stuck by with them with her partner Reina who, in a festive mood, donned a jellyfish costume. However, they couldn't help but admire Freyja's choice to help, standing behind a stool as the group called to the people.

"Now available at our lovely stand," Makina called out. "The Ragnyannyan special: jellyfish buns! Grab one now for our once-a-year sale price!"

"Cheap as Fire," Zach spoke up, followed by his siblings.

"Delicious as Bomber!"

"You can't find buns like these anywhere else!"

Freyja then jumped up onto the stand in front of her and sang out a small melody to the crowd, waving her body as if she was part of the ocean waters. The patrons that were there instantly smiled as the young Windermerean continued her movements, joined by the Makina and Reina duo. As the small melody ended, the crowd immediately cheered on Freyja, making her hear comments on how cute she was and how many of the civilians wanted the jellyfish buns now.

"Honestly, it was like she was born to do this," Yang commented as she handed out the cooked buns to the patrons. "One of these days, either you or your siblings are going to recommend her as a mascot."

"I wouldn't be surprised about that," Chuck replied back, seasoning the jellyfish buns. "She gets along well with my brothers and sisters, and she knows what to do to attract the customers. Plus, she has the cute face that draws in the young folks."

"Hey, what about me?"

"Aside from your explosive attitude and your body posture?" He then chuckled as she glared at him. "You're still a favorite amongst our customers. You know what you're doing and you always greet them with a smile. Plus… should I have to bring up that one time with the reporters?"

"Hey, that one guy was asking for it," she retorted, pouting as he laughed. "Besides, no one touches the hair."

"Yeah, we get it. Your hair is _sacred_ to you," Hayate called out to her as he cooked more buns, looking at Mirage. "So… This jellyfish festival thing…"

"It's to honor the Ragnan god of the sea," the half Zantradi answered him.

"That part I get."

"This is also part of our mission." She turned to face him. "We are to take part in the planet's cultural events and promote friendly relations with the locals."

"Well… you didn't say anything about lifting heavy crates," they looked over to see Ruby and Weiss carrying over extra supplies, with the latter speaking out. "Next time I want to be a part of the festivities, can it be as a patron instead of help?"

"Sis, why did you make us carry the heavy crates," Ruby asked the blonde woman, setting the supplies down. "Huh?"

"Well, you left for home to take care of some business, right?" Yang got a nod from her little sister before continuing. "Then as punishment, you and Weiss are to help our stall by bringing in what we need." She then added a smirk as lilac eyes met wide eyed silver irises. "Besides, it should help with upper body strength."

"And how will that… help us with flying our Valkyries," Weiss asked out, tired from carrying heavy weight.

"Well… it doesn't, but it will help keep your body in shape?"

"Moving on from that," Hayate cut in, looking out to the crowd to point out one detail. "I'm just wondering why there are so many couples out."

When the girls took notice of Hayate's point, they were surprised to see so many pairs walking around the festival. One couple in particular began to kiss and make out by the railing, causing Yang, Weiss and Mirage to blush out in embarrassment. They all tried to find something to distance their thoughts on the matter, only for the moment to be etched into their heads.

"That's because the jellyfish festival is an event for lovers," Chuck casually spoke as he looked over the cooked merchandise.

"Legend goes if a couple confess their love under the jellyfish on this night," Makina took over as she walked over to them. "They'll be forever bound together."

"B-b-bound together," Weiss stuttered, suddenly standing up. "If that was the case, then why wasn't I informed of this before leaving for Remnant days ago? I could have found and brought Neptune over…"

"Yeah, I don't think that would work," Ruby pointed out, deadpanning at Weiss' reactions. "First of all, how will he take it when he learns humans are beyond Remnant? How will he react when you take him to outer space, and more importantly, how will it go when he's stuck on a planet that's mostly water?"

"OK, you may have a point," the heiress/pilot deflated. "But a girl can dream, right?"

"Yeah, if he wasn't afraid of water."

"Neptune," Chuck commented on the name.

"Neptune is a revered name, as it was the identity of the Roman god of the sea," Mirage pointed out before looking at the white themed girl. "To think you would know someone with the same name that's afraid of the one thing it's associated with…"

"I know, can you please stop reminding me," Weiss shouted out in desperation.

"You're the one who brought it up," Ruby reminded her.

"Let her have her fun, RuRu," Makina spoke up with a smile, unaware of Reina's smirk.

"Tonight, everyone is wearing matching underwear," the green haired hacker whispered out, causing the girls to blush and a pout from her partner.

"ReiRei, there are some things a lady shouldn't say."

"No rule can keep this girl down."

While they were having their conversation about how Reina should act more ladylike, Yang's mind began to further process the meaning of the festival and the legend behind the night. She then began to wonder about Blake, thinking about whether she's at the festival at a different location. Going back to her own thoughts, she remembered her talk with Chuck on the night the Aerial Knights invaded, nodding to herself that she has to tell her feelings on this night.

"HayaHaya," her thoughts were broken when she heard Makina speak to the young man. "Do you know if MesaMesa's coming tonight?"

"I doubt it," he bluntly told her.

"But he's leaving tomorrow…"

"He got reassigned to… the Aramis system, was it," Chuck asked out in wonder before smiling. "There haven't been any Var outbreaks there so far, so that's one less thing to worry about."

"I bet he'll complain about how it's too easy," Hayate joked around before looking at Weiss. "What about Blake? Do you know if she's here?"

"Last I heard, she was standing at the docks, thinking heavily on something," she answered him, deep in thought. "I just hope she doesn't go crazy over the fish."

"If she did, she would have that mercat as competition." Chuck then checked his watch before calling out. "Hayate, Mirage and Ruby, you guys can go on your breaks. Weiss, Yang and I can handle the stand on our own."

"If it's not too much, can I borrow them for a sec," Makina asked the Ragnan chef, seeing him nod before smiling at the three break takers. "Come on, you three. I have something to tell you."

She then grabbed onto Mirage and Ruby's hands while Reina took hold of Hayate and Freyja's hands, walking them away from the stall and leaving the others confused. They all wondered what it was that Makina wanted to talk about, only to shrug it off and get back to work. Selling more jellyfish buns, they began to go through the extra supplies brought over by Ruby and Weiss earlier, happy to see the sales go at a constant rate.

At the same time, over at the Macross _Elysion_ , both Messer and Arad were watching over the progress of flight patterns of both the Alpha and Beta Platoons. Each of them looked on the top of the _Hemera_ as the VF-31A _Kairos_ models launched off of the platforms, with the Grim Reaper forming his own thoughts on the way they're being flown. He then sighed as another Alpha Platoon fighter launched off the fortress, making his point to the commander.

"They're not managing their reflex engine well enough," he told the middle aged man.

"Well, that's the Alpha Platoon for you," Arad spoke back at him, keeping his hands in his pockets. "I'll leave them a note."

"Is it okay for me to stay alive?" his question shocked the red headed male. "That's all that has been on my mind lately. Why…" He then regained his thoughts. "My apologies. I couldn't finish training the Delta Platoon before leaving."

"Don't worry about it," Arad assured him, taking out his left hand and placing it on Messer's shoulder. "Jellyfish babies quickly learn to swim, even without their parents."

"WHAT," both Hayate and Ruby shouted out of their lungs back in the city, with the former speaking up. "The Reaper himself?"

"Likes Kaname," Freyja asked out in shock.

"No way," Ruby muttered out, just as shocked as the others. "I mean, there is no way that Messer likes Kaname."

"Think about it," Makina pleaded out. "Isn't the only song he has on his bracelet KanaKana's?"

"It's because he owes her his life…" Mirage explained to her.

"No way," Hayate called out in denial. "This is the Reaper we're talking about."

"Yeah," Ruby agreed with the young man, adding in her own two cents. "Besides, that guy looks like he is more interested in keeping busy, pointing out flaws on the way people fly their Valkyries. How would a guy like Messer like Kaname?"

"Besides," Reina started up. "Kaname's into Arad."

"WHAT," all of them shouted out before Ruby fainted, causing Mirage to catch her.

"What the hell," the young man shouted out. "She's gonna turn into a cuttlefish."

"You guys are so dense," Makina called them out, taking note of Ruby's unconscious form as Reina continued.

"You can't sing about love like this."

The hacker's words incited mixed reactions from Freyja and Mirage as the young reaper came back to, while Hayate sighed out and scratched his head before speaking again. "Does Commander Arad know about it?"

"What about First Lt. Messer," Mirage asked after him, causing Makina to sigh out.

"Who knows if he realized," she muttered out.

"Such a drag," the young man called out. "If she likes him, she should just say so."

"Hayate, I think it's more complex than you think," Ruby reminded him while the other two girls looked away, blushing lightly.

"RuRu has a point," Makina started, standing up and pointing her finger at him. "And that is why I'm entrusting you with this critical mission, HayaHaya."

"Huh? No way. There is no way I'm doing this," Hayate denied them, only to do so moments later, walking over to the Festival with Messer beside him. "I didn't expect you to actually come."

"You won't be my subordinate anymore," the Grim Reaper pointed out.

"So what?"

"That's all."

The young man could only scoff. "You manage to kill the buzz, even on your last night out."

* * *

While the festivities continued on over at the docks of Barrette City, the towering machine of the Macross _Elysion_ was filled with peace and quiet. Two of the senior officers of Chaos' Ragna division were outside sitting across one another as Arad and Ernest drank from sake brought over, discussing over the current events. Only two discussions mattered to the men, with them finishing up the first topic.

"Can you keep this up without Messer," the Zentradi asked the pilot.

"Does it make a difference if I said no," the Delta commander replied back, earning a chuckle from the giant man.

"You're quick on the uptake." He then took a sip out of his sake as Arad asked a question of his own.

"What about the ruins?"

"So far, they're saying that it's just a regular pile of rocks," He answered the man. "But the research is still ongoing."

"They're after the ruins," Arad confirmed, taking a sip before continuing. "I'm positive they came to this planet for reconnaissance. Their attacks on places without them were just attempts at misdirection."

"Lady M. ordered us to bolster our defences on Ragna and Al Shahal," Ernest gave out to Arad. "Those are the only two planets left that have ruins on them."

"Al Shahal…" the middle aged man muttered out, flashbacking to the day he encountered the young man. "Hayate and Freyja were both there. It seems fate has bound both Windermere and Hayate Immelmann together."

"The same goes for us, Arad." The Zentradi then sighed out before speaking up again. "Also, I have received confirmation that the White Rose is now in the Brisingr Globular Cluster."

"The White Rose?"

"Yes, she contacted me herself." He then fished out files before handing them over to him. "Remember what Kaname told us about Ruby, about how she was able to handle a Valkyrie smoothly?"

"The conversation was etched into my mind."

"Well, one mystery has been solved about her." He looked at Arad straight in the eye. "I looked into the S.M.S. servers for any info on the White Rose, and one thing stood out the most. When I saw the files and the emblem on her Valkyrie, the VF-25 _Messiah_ , I knew the similarities were there."

"What do you mean," Arad asked out of curiosity.

"The White Rose's appearance is a little unbelievable, but the use of an old generation Fold Drive is to blame for that. Because of its appearance, the pilot of that machine aided in the Vajra war, with her last known recorded battle being against the Vajra Frontier." He then pointed to the name. "And her name… I'll let you read it out."

The Delta 01 pilot nodded before looking over the files, going wide eyed as he spotted and read out the name. "S.M.S. First Lt…. Summer Rose?"

"Her appearance, as well as how she handled the VF-25 _Messiah_ , can attribute to Ruby's skills in the VF-31 _Siegfried._ " He then took one more sip before looking up at the sky. "Delta is becoming a family of its own, with the pilots being related to previous members of other known military or civilian contract pilots."

"Hayate Immelmann, Mirage Farina Jenius and Ruby Rose…" Arad then looked at the Zentradi captain. "What is the White Rose doing?"

"While we were engaging the Var and the Aerial Knights on Voldor, the White Rose had her own engagements, limiting the number of Var controlled N.U.N.S. forces under Windermere's influence. Soldiers unaffected by the Var were thankful for her, praising her due to her status. But the N.U.N.S. higher ups…"

"They don't approve." Arad then looked up at the skies, seeing the stars shining brightly in the night sky. "Either way, we'll cross paths with her again like we did on Ionedeth."

"Yeah," Ernest agreed, taking one more sip. "I agree with you wholeheartedly."

* * *

When the skies darkened enough with the stars shining bright, the people have all gathered to the railings as the stalls closed down for the time being, giving Yang time to find and talk to Blake about her feelings. Taking what she heard from Chuck and Makina, she wanted to wait until the jellyfish appeared out of the waters, making it the perfect time to confess. However, as she looked from stall to stall, she was about to give up until she thought about the docks, running over to see if her faunas partner was there.

True to her thoughts, when she climbed down the stairs, her lilac eyes were greeted with the sight of Blake sitting alone on the deck farther from the stairs, looking away over to the horizon. Instead of sneaking over and scaring her, the blonde chose the wise option to casually walk over, alerting the girl of her presence when Blake's cat ears flicked. Realizing that she wasn't alone, the raven haired girl turned her head to see Yang, taking note of the blonde girl's facial features.

"Hey Blake," Yang started out, walking to her side. "You mind if I sit down?"

"No, go ahead," her partner shook her head as she sat down beside her. "Aren't you going to start with a joke or a pun about cat's being near water?"

"I think that mercat ruined that, honestly. Besides, I told you I'm taking a break from them." She then sighed before looking at her. "Blake, I need to ask you something."

"Then ask."

"You're not making this easy." Yang then gathered her thoughts before continuing. "Blake, did you hear from anyone about the legend about this night?"

"No. Why?"

"I heard from Makina that if a couple were to confess their feelings underneath the jellyfish on this night, they're bound to be together forever."

"That sounds more like a practice to me, Yang."

"Yeah, well you can't deny that it is part of Ragna's culture."

"I have to agree with you there." She then looked at Yang. "Yang, is there a reason as to why you're telling me this?"

"Just want to get to the point, huh?" The blonde sighed as they heard Freyja being called out by the populace, giggling over the faraway conversation before getting back on topic. "I guess I can tell you, but first, I want to know… just how deep are your feelings for Messer?"

"What," Blake blushed as she heard her, turning her head slightly before answering. "I don't know… I mean, I'm a little upset when I heard he's leaving for the Aramis system. It's true that he helped me fly the VF-31 to the way I want it, and it's true that I have been helping him combat the White Knight… but…"

"But…?"

"But…" Blake then tears up when she tries to gather her thoughts. "When it became apparent that his affliction with the Var would hurt him, I was troubled. He even ordered me that if he were to be taken over completely, then I… I was to kill him."

"He gave you that order?"

"Yes and instead… I told him that I would do whatever it took to save him…" She then looked over to the side, seeing Messer beside Kaname. "Instead, it was Kaname that saved him when the Var took hold of him… And I…"

"Hey, you did what you could, Blake," Yang assured her, holding her with her prosthetic. "You got the White Knight off of Messer for a bit, even showing off a Valkyrie sized Gambol Shroud. That means more than anything, and I bet he was grateful for it. Right?"

Her partner nodded as she wiped the tears off her face. "Yeah, your right." She then looked up in the sky. "I guess, in a way, I'm happy that he's being transferred. That way, he can stay alive and train new pilots."

"He won't be flying much," the blonde reminded her.

"I know." Blake then looked at her lilac eyes. "Yang, is there something that you wanted to say?"

"Well," she started before seeing all of the lights in Barrette city go out, looking around to see what was going on. She was then alerted when she heard Freyja's voice, looking back at the ocean to see glowing lights in the aquatic surface. Both her's and Blake's eyes went wide as the lights came out of the water, revealing themselves to be the floating jellyfish that Chuck told her about. They were both amazed by the sight as the aquatic lifeforms floated up in the sky, with Yang clutching to Blake's side before looking at her partner.

"Blake, there is something I wanted to tell you," she started, getting the faunas' attention. "I wanted to wait until the time was right to tell you. Hearing about the legend, and talking about it with Chuck nights ago, I wanted to say that… for a while now, I… I have been developing feelings for you."

"Yang… what are you…" Blake muttered out in shock.

"Please, let me finish Blake." She then looked up at the jellyfish covered sky. "Sure, I was harsh on you when you came back to us. Sure I almost tried to kill you back during our test, and yeah, I had that attitude since I heard you left from Sun. But… after going through battle after battle with Windermere's forces, I kept wondering about what would happen to you. And, as I kept on wondering, the more prominent my feelings became. After some time, I realized… Blake… I…"

"Yang, why are you—"

Blake never finished her train of thought as Yang leaned in quickly, pressing her lips on the faunas' and shocking the girl. She never expected the blonde to actually lean in and kiss her on the lips, going in slightly deeper as the blonde hugged her closer to her. As Yang broke off the kiss, the faunas made out a faint blush forming in her partner's cheeks as she leaned back to her position, glancing back at her with her hopeful lilac eyes.

"Yang," Blake managed out, still shocked over the kiss. "Why did you…"

"Because You mean something to me, Blake," Yang answered her, looking back to the sky. "I don't know, but you're important to me. Whereas I am the light, you are the darkness. I feel that… if I confessed to you, we could be… you know… together."

As she looked back at her partner, the blonde could see her body shaking before slowly standing up, backing away from her before running off into the festival. She then looked down and shed a few tears, wiping them away before sighing. In her mind, she somewhat knew that what Blake did was an expected reaction, but she hoped that she would understand why. Looking over, she can faintly hear Messer and Kaname's conversation before looking over at Makina, thinking that she wanted the both of them to have one last happy memory before he leaves for the Aramis System.

As for Blake, she ran away from Yang back at the festival before stopping in the middle of the grounds, looking back to see the jellyfish continue to float up in the air, with a translucent light coming from their bodies. She never expected her partner to actually kiss her in the lips, but when she thought back, she didn't feel any form of deceit, realizing that her feelings were true. Clutching at her chest, she turned around, taking in the sights of the jellyfish before making up her own mind.

" _Yang_ ," she thought to herself. " _I may not be around long, but I promise you… I'll find a way to keep you safe. You, our team, the Delta Platoon and Walkure… even if it means dying, I'll watch over you all._ "

* * *

On the day of the operation, the Aerial Knights under Keith's command prepared themselves once more for their next battle against Walkure and their Delta Platoon guardians, making their way over towards the hanger bays. However, as they neared their destination, the White Knight stopped in front of a set of stairs as Lloyd made his way to them, holding two Windermerean sabres while escorted by Gale. Stopping in front of the Windermerean forces, the chancellor tossed one of the swords to the blonde male, shocking the rest of the knights.

"Lord Lloyd, what are you doing," Xao asked out to him.

"His Highness needs to rest," Lloyd answered him, drawing the sabre out of the scabbard as Herman mentally warned the White Knight, only for him to walk towards his current opponent. Drawing his own sword, he stood in front of the scientist, discarding the scabbard while gripping the blade tightly in his right hand. He glared at his escort as Gale backed away, giving the two of them enough room.

"It's been a while," Keith commented, keeping his gaze on Lloyd.

"Have you ever won?"

"That was the past, not the present."

With that being said, the White Knight charged in, clashing swords with the Windermerean chancellor as the others stood and watched. The Aerial Knights were shocked to see that despite the speed Keith displayed, Lloyd kept up the defence as the blonde moved on the offensive. However, at the moment of truth, Keith shocked Lloyd as he swung his sabre upwards, removing the weapon out of the chancellor's hands before placing by his hair, blade touching where the rune is connected.

"Do you intend to oppose His Majesty," the blonde asked his defeated opponent.

"Prince Heinz' life is on the line here," Lloyd tried to reason with him, only to meet the steel gaze of the White Knight.

"Shall a tragedy befall him; the great wind may take my life as well. Once we've won this war."

"Fold your wings," a young commanding voice called out to the two of them, forcing them to see the young Prince Heinz and his two escorts. "I could feel your wind within my rune." When the two men didn't answer, the young boy spoke once more. "I shall sing and die… Keith."

The White Knight eventually withdrew his blade away from Lloyd, bowing down to the young Windermerean prince while the chancellor looked down in shame. Despite his wishes to end the war, he does not wish for the boy to die in the process. Heinz' status as the Wind Singer, as well as his position, meant nothing to the burden that's inflicted on him. His only wish is for the young prince to live his life without such a burden.

* * *

The Song of the Wind was once again heard on the desert world of Al Shahal, allowing the Var Syndrome to take hold of the civilian populace and the remaining Zentradi forces on the surface. The Delta Platoon, now lacking Messer after sending him off, went through the re-entry phase until they were seen in the skies, flying near the main city hub of the planet. Each of the members slightly winced as they heard the Windermerean song, realizing that it has gotten stronger than last time.

"Var outbreak on Al Shahal," they heard Ernest on the comms. "The reinforcements fell under enemy control almost immediately. Be careful. That song can be heard anywhere."

"Dammit," Chuck cursed out from his mouth. "What's going on?"

"It's a lot more audible than before," Hayate commented, feeling the power of the Song.

"Why do we have to suffer as well," Yang asked out, her _Siegfried_ flying closer to Ruby's as Mirage looked to the side with wide eyes.

"The Protoculture ruins are resonating with the enemy's song," she analyzed as the ruins themselves glowed to the Song of the Wind. However, the alarms on their Valkyries warned them of incoming enemy fighters, making them see the sight of the Aerial Knights flying into the battle. Blake immediately glared at the leading SV-262 Draken III piloted by the White Knight, knowing that she'll have to fight him alone.

"He's here," she muttered to herself, clutching on her controls as they got closer.

"I see Belladonna's here," Keith commented as he looked at the _Siegfrieds_. "And the fighter responsible for clipping my wing is with her. Now where are you, Grim Reaper?"

As the two forces on different sides closed in to clash with one another, the command crew of the Macross _Elysion_ back on Ragna were observing the events through the consoles. Each of the girls went over the reports as the Song of the Wind continued, until alarms began to appear in front of them. One by one, they began to report their findings to the captain.

"Captain, the ruins on Listania are resonating," Mizuki started, shocking the male.

"What," he asked out, only for Nina to report as well.

"The Song of the Wind can be heard on Airberl and the ruins are reacting as well."

"Same with Ionideth," Beth added in her own findings, shocking the Zentradi further.

"Hold on, I thought there were no ruins on Ionideth," Ernest concluded in shock.

"There are still reports of the song."

He then sat in thought before ordering out. "Bring up the star map." He was then greeted with the visual representation of the globular cluster, seeing the changes as the planets holding the ruins light up and discovering what Windermere was up to. "Crap."

Back on Al Shahal, the tactical sound unit Walkure immediately jumped out of their shuttle while singing out **Walkure Attack** , changing into their iconic uniforms as they descended to the ground. As they sang, the song itself began to react with the ruins, clashing with the sound of the Song of the Wind, causing an audio clash between both Walkure and the Wind Singer. As the singers eventually landed on the surface near the ruins with Mikumo in front, they poured their emotions into the song, causing the ruins to brighten its glow and projecting it to Windermere.

With the song being heard from both Al Shahal and Windermere's respective Protoculture ruins, a strong gust of wind appeared, pushing the sound unit back while Heinz stood near the sound system in shock. He never expected to hear the girls' singing from Al Shahal's ruins, asking out who was there. The other shocked individual, Kaname, stared at the fold readings, eyes widening as she realized what would happen.

"The interference is off the charts," she muttered out before feeling a shockwave, glancing over to Mikumo and Freyja. "WATCH OUT!"

Her warning didn't reach them in time as the ruins emitted another shockwave, pushing the two girls back and knocking them unconscious. She stared in horror as the mysterious Venus and the rising star of Walkure lay on the ground, causing both Makin and Reina to run over to their side. She followed their lead immediately, calling out to the members knocked out by the ruins. In that moment, as Walkure is now vulnerable, the Aerial Knights to that as the moment to strike.

"The enemy's song has died," Herman commented, smirking. "Crush them."

With his order given, the Windermerean forces released the drones attached from their wings before sending them off, programming them to open fire on the Delta Platoon. The battle against the forces of Chaos and the Aerial Knights started as bullets flew towards the VF-31s, separating the fighters from the group. Every pair of drones got behind each of the _Siegfried_ s, laying siege against them, preventing the pilots from regrouping.

"A pincer attack," Chuck asked out of frustration, avoiding the drones as if his life depended on it. "I miss Messer already."

"Unbelievable," Ruby muttered out, contacting her teammates. "Girls, stick together in groups of two. Weiss, Yang, _Freezerburn_."

"Roger," the girls responded to the order as they got closer, only to be separated as Theo and Xao opened fire on Delta 07, keeping Weiss away from Yang. The white themed girl gritted her teeth as the two Drakens got behind her in a pincer attack, launching volleys of bullets at her fighter. Getting annoyed, she maneuvered her Valkyrie away from the oppressing fire, launching her own set of missiles at the twin Windermereans. She let out a light smile in the hopes of taking them down, only to be shocked at the twins' drones fired at the explosives, keeping the SV-262s unharmed.

"I got your back, Weiss," she heard Yang from the comm as bullet fire appeared, destroying one of the drones guarding the twins, making the heiress grateful for the assistance. She then noticed up in the sky that another SV-262 arrived in the battle, taking notice of the gold and scarlet color scheme as it flew towards Ruby's Valkyrie. Wide eyed, she was about to give notice to her team leader when her own VF-31 shook, seeing that one of her wings got clipped by Theo's remaining drone and forcing her to shift into Gerwalk Mode.

"Ruby," she called out to her, firing at the drone until it was destroyed. "You have a fighter incoming."

"What," the young reaper replied before seeing the Draken, eyes narrowing as she recognized it from Ionideth and Voldor. "You again, _Crimson_? Don't you have anything better to do?"

"Red Rose," the pilot muttered, her own green eyes narrowing. "Time to scatter you with my wind."

The young reaper cursed to herself as her newly nicknamed opponent Crimson opened fire on the _Siegfried_ , separating herself from Blake in the process. She hated the idea of facing off against the Windermerean alone, believing that it was their plan all along. Her thoughts were shaken as Crimson opened fire, destroying the clamps that held Ruby's Project: 'Red' and relieving her of one of Valkyrie's weapons. She then retaliated by pulling something out of Hayate's book, shifting into Gerwalk mode before ascending into the sunlight, blinding the Windermerean before descending in Battroid mode, firing and destroying one of the drones attached.

"That will show you," Ruby shouted out before glancing at the side, seeing Hayate in trouble as the White Knight tailed him. "HAYATE!"

"DELTA 05," Mirage called out as well before having her own wing clipped by Bogue, slowly descending before switching over to Gerwalk mode to prevent a crash with the ground.

"Heh, the small fry can wait," Bogue commented before setting his sights on his personal target. "Now, I believe it's time to crush Walkure."

He was followed along with Theo and Xao as they made their way over to the vulnerable sound unit, with the two Drakens still carrying their drones. Hayate cursed out as he saw Freyja's life in danger before getting hit by Keith's bullets, flying into the city atmosphere in the hopes of shaking him. The White Knight only glanced out to where Ruby was seeing her engaged by Gale herself, scoffing before returning his gaze on the _Siegfried_.

"For a False Windermerean, she kept that Rose busy," he muttered out before closing his eyes. "And I had hoped He'd dance again." His rune then glowed brightly as he looked to the side, smirking as a fireball descended into the skies. "There he is."

Knowing that his rival had appeared, the White Knight broke off of Hayate's tracks, ascending up in the sky while shocking the young man. Wondering what was going on, he pointed his gaze over to where the White Knight getting shocked as the fireball slowly revealed itself as the relieved Messer Ihlefeld. Blake, while covering Ruby from Gale's attacks, went wide eyed as the man that trained her appeared in the skies, joining in on the fight.

"Delta 02, engaging," his voice was heard on the comms, strained as the Var Syndrome began to resurface once again.

"Messer, what are you doing," Arad called out to him, taking notice of the VF-31 _Siegfried_ that belonged to him.

"I was briefed…"

"You're disobeying orders."

The ace pilot could only grip his controls as he continued his descent. "I'm still… a member of the Delta Platoon."

"Messer," Kaname muttered to herself in awe before turning to the side, gasping as the sight of Bogue and the twins' Drakens got closer to the defenceless Walkure. The three Windermerean fighters then shifted over to Gerwalk mode as a means to slow down their approach, arming their weapons before pointing them at the girls. The leading Windermerean's visuals showed him the shocked singer, allowing him to smirk as his targeting system locked on to the sound unit.

"You're dead," he spoke up as the Drakens got near, only for Messer to defend them as the _Siegfried_ fired, destroying one of Xao's drones and shocking the red headed Windermerean as he shot a laser towards Kaname. Walkure could only gasp as the blast got closer, making them huddle and protect the unconscious Mikumo and Freyja as they shouted. The blast never came as Messer shifted into Gerwalk mode and blocked the attack with the barrier system, causing his fighter to tumble to the ground near them.

"Are you alright, Kaname," his voice was heard by her as she got up, making her, Makina and Reina to look over at the _Siegfried_ 's cockpit opening up.

"Lieutenant," the sound unit leader spoke up, seeing his visor open to reveal his face, with the veins coming out.

"Please sing, Kaname," he muttered out in desperation.

"But… Messer…" she called out as she ran to him

"Please sing… before I turned Var for good."

His words caused her to stop in her tracks, processing the request he made in her head. She knew that if he kept it up, he would eventually turn Var and fall under Windermere's control. Turning her head over to the unconscious forms of Mikumo and Freyja, she wiped away her tears before gazing at the Grim Reaper, mentally agreeing to do so for him.

"Thank you… Kaname."

Saluting to her as his visor came down on his helmet, Messer turned his gaze up to the skies as the cockpit closed down. He then started up his _Siegfried_ 's start up sequence as Kaname began to sing out **AXIA** **〜ダイスキでダイキライ** **〜** , allowing him to fight with no regrets. Lifting off of the ground, he aimed at one of the stationary Drakens, firing a blast and destroying one of the drones locked on its wing. He then switched back into Fighter mode before ascending up towards the skies, rejoining the fight and turn the table to Delta's favor.

Hearing Kaname's song, the SV-262s piloted by both Herman and Qasim turned their sights to where Walkure is, flying over and launching their own drones. The action was spotted by Messer as he got closer to them, and as they opened fire on the VF-31, time slowed down for the ace pilot to process the events. He quickly reacted as he maneuvered out of harm's way, avoiding the bullets before firing back, destroying Qasim's drones with his main guns and wiping out Herman's with a blast from the laser cannon.

"This guy," Herman commented over the skills Messer displayed.

"How the wind," Qasim started with a shocked expression, only for Keith's Draken to fly passed them.

"White Knight?"

As the VF-31 and SV-262 fighters closed in on one another, Keith's rune began to glow brightly as Messer kept a steel gaze, using as much of his mental strength to suppress the Var. Passing one another, both of them began to fly upwards in the skies as the song continued. With one shout, Messer began the assault by launching a volley of missiles towards the White Knight, only for Keith to point the attached drones back and fired on the explosives. Smirking, the Grim Reaper knew his opponent would fire back, only to go wide eyed as the Draken unleashed its own volley of missiles. Reacting quickly, he maneuvered the _Siegfried_ away from them as he fired streams of bullets at the rockets, destroying them and the launcher packs the Windermerean jettisoned.

Keith wasn't finished with him yet as he turned the Draken around, releasing another barrage of reactive rounds at the VF-31 as it dodged them, enlightening the White Knight even more. Glancing backwards, the Grim Reaper gritted his teeth as the Draken continued its attack, forcing him to aim his cannon at the foe behind him before firing, seeing it dodged the attacks. The two opposing pilots continued to exchange fire between one another, with the _Siegfried_ falling behind before opening fire with its weapons again. Their battle was observed by both the Delta Platoon and the Aerial Knights, both shocked and awed that they kept up with one another.

"He… He turned Var," Hayate muttered out as his fighter closed in on Walkure's position.

"And he's controlling it," Chuck added in through the comm.

"Messer… be careful…" Blake muttered out in a whisper, choosing to stay out of the fight between Grim Reaper and White Knight.

"He can match the White Knight," Bogue muttered in shock as his rune glowed lightly.

"What a nice wind," Herman whispered to himself as the battle continued between SV-262 and VF-31, with the pilot of the former smirking.

"I can see the wind."

Eventually, both fighters began to emit a trail of light as they flew passed one another, with Keith using his rune and Messer using the Var to his advantage. On the surface, both Freyja and Mikumo came to as their eyes opened, looking at the form a determined, singing Kaname, bringing out the bracelet she got from the Grim Reaper. Flashbacking to the night of the jellyfish festival, her tears resurfaced, allowing a few drops to fall on the accessory as she sang out to the ace pilot of the Delta Platoon.

"THIS IS IT," Messer shouted out as he maneuvered closer the Windermerean fighter, firing and destroying one of the drones attached to Keith's plane.

"Reaper…" Keith started as he glanced over to Messer's fighter. "So you're riding the WIND AS WELL!"

With that said, the White Knight immediately launched his remaining drone off the SV-262 before turning around opening fire on the _Siegfried_ and damaging it. Knowing the extent of the damage, Messer immediately jettisoned the cannon off of his fire as it exploded, seeing the Draken get close to him before breaking off. He then turned around and headed straight towards the Windermerean machine, shouting out as he opened fire once more. He didn't expect the drone to fly in and the bullets before getting destroyed, allowing Keith to shout out as his fighter came out of the smoke and opened fire.

Time immediately slowed down as Messer's eyes went wide as the bullet got closer, breaking through the windshield before piercing his body. The end result of the battle was the fighter's cockpit being coated in blood, shocking the Delta Platoon and Walkure as they saw their comrade die to the White Knight. Kaname was immediately heartbroken to see the man that saved them fall, collapsing to the ground as her tears became rampant.

Along with Kaname, Blake was also heartbroken to see the one that trained her lose his life to Windermere's ace, causing her to clutch the controls of her Valkyrie tightly. The voices of her fellow platoon members calling out Messer's name were blurred out as her body shook, making her look at the White Knight's SV-262 with rage. Immediately, she shifted her Valkyrie over to Fighter mode before flying off towards the Windermerean responsible, shocking her teammates further.

"Blake, what are you doing," Yang called out to her, only to be ignored as her fighter got closer, opening fire on the Draken, surprising Keith in the process. He looked over to see his other rival getting closer to him as the Grim Reaper's Valkyrie fell to the surface, smiling as he has another challenge to overcome. Determined to make her fall, he shifted his SV-262 into Gerwalk mode, opening fire on her approaching VF-31 and causing her to avoid the hailing bullets.

Locking on to the Windermerean in front of her, Blake unleashed another volley of reactive rounds towards Messer's killer, getting irritated as the machine dodged effortlessly. Switching over to Gerwalk mode herself, she strafed left and right as the White Knight continued to open fire on her, responding with her own salvo of ammunition. Reacting quickly, she launched a series of missiles towards the White Knight in the hopes of taking him down, only to grit her teeth as the machine shifted into Fighter Mode and flew off, blasting the explosives down one by one before coming down towards her.

She didn't waste time to act, changing her Valkyrie over into Battroid and drawing out one of the blades of Project: 'Black,' swinging it in a downwards diagonal slash. Keith, seeing his rune glow brightly, smirked as he maneuvered his Draken away from the attack, not falling for the same thing like he did back on Ragna. He looked over to the side to see Belladonna strike again with the _Siegfried_ 's blade, only to dodge another volley of bullets coming from the gun pod attached to Valkyrie's arm.

Cursing herself over not hitting the White Knight's fighter, she kept firing nonstop at the Draken as it flew far from her, slicing as it got closer to her and a mix of between. Gritting her teeth, she continued her own barrage until she ran out of ammunition, going wide eyed as she is now without a means of long distance fire. Steeling herself, she took notice of the SV-262 diving down towards her, shifting Project: 'Black' into pistol form before firing upwards at him, surprised that one of the bullets managed to graze the White Knight's wing.

"Impressive, Belladonna," Keith commented, shifting his Draken into Battroid Mode before withdrawing a Pin-Point Barrier blade out of the right leg. "You and Reaper truly deserve to be my rivals."

Surprising Blake with his own sword, he immediately swiped downwards at the VF-31 she was piloting, causing her to narrowly avoid the strike before switching her weapon back to a blade. She was able to block a sideways strike in the nick of time, allowing her to kick the Draken off of her before returning the gesture with an upwards diagonal slash. Her weapon never hit its mark as the Windermerean struck it back, pushing them back towards the _Siegfried_. Let out a shout, she forced the Valkyrie into returning the pressure, pushing the SV-262 back before freeing the blade out, priming her gun pods and firing at the Draken as it shifted into Fighter Mode.

As she kept up her battle against the White Knight in the skies, the other members of RWBY watched in shock and awe as their teammate kept up the clash against Windermere's ace. They knew that it wasn't their fight to intervene, but they couldn't help but worry about the faunas' safety as the battle escalated. In terms to Yang, her eyes began to water as she doesn't want to lose someone close to her, knowing that fighting against the Draken was risky.

As the SV-262 flew closer once more towards the VF-31 _Siegfried_ , Keith had already shifted back into Battroid Mode and drawing his blade quickly, swiping downwards as Blake swung diagonally upwards. Due to the force of the strike, the Draken's sword immediately broke the blade off of Project: 'Black,' shocking the raven haired girl of the result. The Windermerean then grabbed the broken piece of Blake's Valkyrie katana with its free hand before thrusting it into the Valkyrie, piercing the cockpit and stabbing into the girl's flesh. Pain was all she knew as the shard was embedded into her stomach, coughing out blood and breathing heavily.

"NO, BLAKE," Yang shouted out as her eyes went wide as the Belladonna struggled to maintain itself, with the thrusters slowly dying down. Straining herself through the pain, she raised the _Siegfried_ 's hand that once held the weapon and primed the gun pod, only for Keith to see it and destroy it with his own weapon. Her vision slowly began to fade as blood flowed out of her injury, keeping her gaze on the Draken as the Windermerean spoke on the general comm.

"You flew an impressive wind once again, Belladonna," she heard the White Knight comment on her skills. "You've impressed me time and time again when we encountered one another during the war, along with the Grim Reaper. If you had been born under the same wind as I have, you would have made an excellent Aerial Knight." Her body began to ache more from the loss of blood as Keith continued. "Unfortunately, only one wind can blow freely. Do not worry, for the wind you flew shall be remembered by me."

Using what strength she had left, she raised her remaining _Siegfried_ 's arm and priming the weapon system on it, aiming it at the SV-262 at point blank range. Feeling his rune glow rapidly, Keith went wide eyed before kicking the damaged VF-31 away, shifting over to Fighter Mode and soaring to the sky. The girl gave one last smirk as she opened fire, damaging and destroying the thrusters of the Draken and causing another Aerial Knight to fly in and catch him, switching to Gerwalk Mode as it saw the downed machine descend to the ground.

Satisfied that she managed to damage the White Knight's Draken in Messer's Place, Blake's breathing became ragged as her mind flashed back to her life up to her current predicament. From her time in the White Fang, entering Beacon and becoming part of RWBY, to her reunion with the girls and her training on the Valkyries, she felt as if she found her purpose. Feeling her eyelids becoming heavy, she closed her eyes as a smile escaped her lips, breathing her final breaths as the ground grew closer.

"I'm leaving the rest… to you…" she muttered out before coughing out blood, keeping her smile as her eyes opened slightly to reveal hazy amber eyes. "Ruby… Weiss… Yang… Take care… of everyone…" Her mind then flashed back to the night of the jellyfish festival. "And Yang… I… I'm sorry I… I couldn't return your feelings… but…" She let out one last smile as her eyes closed. "Thank you… for… everything… Good… bye…"

Her last breath was immediately drawn as she passed away, with her VF-31 crashing into the surface of the Al Shahal desert. Ruby and her division, as well as both the rest of the Delta Platoon and Walkure, watched in horror as another one of their comrades died to the White Knight, glancing up as the Aerial Knight holding the damaged White Knight's fighter flew off with the rest. Yang's eyes, pouring with tears, kept their gaze on the fallen form of Delta 08's Battroid, closing her eyes as she let out a scream.

"BLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKE!"

* * *

 **A/N: THIS IS WHY I SAY I'M GOING TO GET HATED! THIS CHAPTER HAS NOT ONE, BUT TWO DEATHS! I deeply apologize to any fans of Blake for doing this.**

 **Now before I start hearing pitchforks and angry mobs, hear me out. This has been in the planning stage since I first thought up this crossover last year, back when RWBY: Chibi season 1 started to air while Macross Delta was in the end of its first half. At first, I had trouble figuring out who to kill off, asking coworkers, fellow fic writers and the cosplayer named Ayriath on Facebook. However, my coworker told me that I should choose Blake, going on as to how she continued to feel guilty over running away. Running away from the White Fang when it got violent, running away after Beacon fell and running away from Yang who just lost her arm. I asked others and they said either Yang or Weiss, and their only claim was 'I just don't like them.' So taking in the thoughts, Blake was chosen and shared the fate with Messer. I firmly believed that I would get hate for that, asked why Blake was killed off, and I gave my answer. Though, my coworker will say, 'YES, BLAKE's DEAD! BEST CHAPTER! TWENTY OUT OF TWENTY!' So yeah, now you can raise the pitchforks.**

 **Review Replies:**

 **Alexwu704:** _ **Great Story, Friend!**_

 **Friend? *suddenly has Penny flashbacks* Oh boy. Anyways, thanks, Pal.**

 **Marcus the Kane:** _ **Bzzzttt…**_

 _ **Great Chapter! I love that Yang has finally come in terms for her feelings with Blake… though I suggest she tells her that after Messer's death. But if she did before Messer's demise, then it's cool.**_

 _ **Bzzzttt…**_

 **Yeah, it took her… what… ten Chapters to realize it? I don't know. But as I read your review, I had to have her tell Blake Before Messer's death. Now you know why.**

 **XY Kid:** _ **Good chapter. Yang's dilemma really brings out the best in her, now that's what you call a character development. And Yes, Marcus has written his own fic but it's mostly his ideas.**_

 **Nothing wrong with his fics being his ideas. Though, my piece of advice is to talk about the ideas themselves, going into detail over how they should pan out. It helps a lot when you have other peoples' thoughts on the ideas, coming from experience when I talked about mine with my coworkers/chefs.**

 **Tendaysromeo:** _ **Great chapter, I enjoyed the plot. I don't know what will happen in the next chapter but whatever it is, I think it will be good despite the risk of getting hated. That's what authors do sometimes: Take risks, especially if they know what is right for the story.**_

 **Truer words have been spoken. You're honestly right about the whole taking risks thing, and when I told my coworkers about that, they even agreed that it was the truth. There are a lot of risks in being a fan fic author, and I have been through some already.**

 **Yuiharime:** _ **Another lovely chapter. While I like the shipping between Blake and Messer, I find Yang's feelings for Blake being really cute. And whatever happens on the next chapter, I think it's gonna be worth the reading if the plot will be sad… sad moments are very essential for a good plot.**_

 **I honestly think things are going to get sadder in the next chapter, as I'm sure you have noticed. But still, I hope you still enjoyed what I have written.**

 **Guest:** _ **Well, that was unexpectedly early (the gap between chapter 11 and 12 were a couple of months), and I'm glad I could help out with the minor details, so I'll be glad to help out where I can!**_

 _ **That being said:**_  
 _ **1\. Fun tidbit: the Sv-262(especially Keith's Sv-262Hs) has a PPB(Pin-Point Barrier) sword folded and stored away in it's hidden right leg compartment, so maybe you could give Pyr-I MEAN Gale's Draken III the same thing.**_

 _ **2\. Kudo Shin is alive and well by the time the start of Frontier rolls around, since he published a book regarding his experiences of the events of the "Bird Human", which was previously covered up during the U. era.(seriously, that was one LONG gag order!)**_  
 _ **Also, Mao died ELEVEN years prior to Frontier when the SDFN-04 Global, along with the 117th research fleet were attacked by the Vajra(fucking Grace!), with young Ranka being the only survivor. (The fleet was declared lost in 2048.)**_

 _ **That's all I can spot ATM, so I'll leave it as that until the next chapter.**_

 **Yeah, I'm already aware of the PPB blade hidden in Keith's Draken, but adding it in Gale's? Her fighter is basically the same as Keith's, with the exception being the color scheme. But yeah, I think I may do that sometime later on in Arc 3.**

 **And Yeah, I'm already aware of Mao's fate when I watched Macross: Frontier years ago, but as I typed, I figured that there are some globular clusters that are unaware of the actual events. Hence, why I had Chuck say what he said in the last chapter.**

 _ **Hey, me again.**_

 _ **Just realized fan fiction erased part of my review comment, and I forgot something else.**_

 _ **Meant to say "U. N. Spacy era" below, but it got erased somehow, and also: the "Bird Human" movie was actually filmed and released in the same year, with the since the final battle took place near the end of the year.(as Macross 7 showed us, filming is done PRETTY fast in the Macross universe.)**_

 _ **Also, I'll use the name "Duel" starting from the next review.**_

 **Hey, some things happen when we least expect it. Luckily, since this review was right after your last one, I knew that it would be connected to be one longer review. And seriously? Filming is done that fast? Jeez, now I need to watch Macross 7 sometime soon, whenever I have time.**

 **Wee-0wee-0:** _ **Whoa! This is good, I'm completely looking forward for the next chapter.**_

 **I hope you knew what you were getting into? Make sure to have a box of tissue if you feel the waterworks coming.**

 **I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. What do you think? Leave a Favorite, Follow and Review.**

 **With that out of the way, I'm BlazefireDrago, signing out.**


	15. Amare Memoriae

**Disclaimer: RWBY is owned by Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth Productions, while Macross is owned by Shoji Kawamori and Studio Satelight.**

* * *

Things have never been the same for the blonde brawler as Yang laid in her bed, staring at the side that was once Blake's. Ever since the operation on Al Shahal, her mind completely shut down as tears flowed from her eyes, hoping that it was all a dream. Her mind kept flashing back to the moment where the White Knight pierced the faunas' Valkyrie, causing her to grasp onto the bedsheet.

Hearing footsteps and the sound of her dorm room door opening, she slowly moved her upper body off the bed, seeing the solemn looks of both Ruby and Weiss. Both girls were just as upset that one of their own had died, but they kept it in check in order to keep going, knowing that Blake would curse them if they broke down. They both looked into the blonde's lilac eyes, stained red from crying, before the team leader walked up to her.

"Yang…" she started, her voice barely being a whisper. "Blake's back… We're going to the _Elysion_ in a bit. I ask that—"

"That I'd come dressed proper, I know," she interrupted, getting out of the bed slowly before nodding at the girls, giving them the signal that she needs to change. The two of them left her room to give her space, closing the door before standing by it to gather their own thoughts. Each of them let out a heavy sigh before the white themed girl turned to Ruby, showing her face filled with sadness.

"I'd never thought I would see her like this," Weiss started, letting out a small tear. "She was always brighter before, back at Beacon… and before Al Shahal…"

"We all used to be brighter, Weiss," her partner whispered back, looking at the door as her sister changed. "We all had a fantasy about our futures… but… after seeing those closest to you die… it can change you."

"Right." She then looked down before glancing at the young reaper. "Ruby… how do you handle it? How do you handle loss?"

"Honestly, I can't." Ruby then let out a few tears, wiping them off before continuing. "You just… have to learn to bear it… just like I have with Penny… and Pyrrha's deaths…"

The sound of the door knob turning caused the two girls to look back, seeing Yang walk out wearing her Chaos uniform, with dress pants replacing her jeans and her jacket zipped up all the way. Knowing that it was the time to go, the three remaining members of RWBY left the dorm building, walking towards the towering fortress of a Macross. They eventually met up with Chuck, dressed in his Chaos uniform instead of his casual wear, deciding to walk together towards their headquarters. None of them spoke a word, knowing that doing so might reopen mental wounds.

Glancing back, Ruby, Weiss and Chuck took notice of the blonde's face, feeling bad that she had lost someone close to her. The former two understood the pain too well, since their fallen friend Blake was like a sister to them, and having her gone managed to leave a void in the girls' hearts. However, the both of them knew that they have to continue on for her sake, even vowing to help Yang recover from the trauma. Already ahead of them, Chuck had made plans with his siblings to prepare for the 'event,' knowing that his brothers and sisters will get the job done.

They eventually made it over to the Chaos Ragna Division's headquarters, seeing their fellow pilots and crewmembers of the Elysion heading over to the service room. Following the flow of people, they ran into the singers of Walkure, Mirage and Hayate, all donning their respective uniforms. They all entered the room, getting into their positions before facing the two coffins holding the late Messer Ihlefeld and Blake Belladonna.

Standing in attention as Ernest stood in front of the coffins, the pilots and singer remembered the times of when they were alive. Some remembered the day Blake challenged the mercat over tuna and lost to the hybrid feline. Some remembered the times Messer critiqued the way they flew their Valkyries, pointing out the flaws that were made obvious to him. Each of them now knew that those days are gone, as the two fallen members now lay in rest in the caskets in front of them.

"Members of Chaos' Ragna Division," Ernest spoke up with authority. "Salute First Lt. Messer Ihlefeld and Specialist Blake Belladonna… NOW!"

At his order, every single person in the room, from the pilots of Alpha and Beta Platoons, Walkure and the remaining Delta Platoon pilots saluted to their fallen brother and sister in arms in unison. Ruby, upon glancing over to her older sister, can already tell that Yang was shaking slightly, thinking back to the time of her partner being alive. Just like what the older sister did for her when they were young, it was now her job to cheer up and take care of her older half sibling. Along with it, she mentally vowed to avenge the faunas' death by taking on the White Knight, hoping that someone would get Crimson off her back.

As the service ended and everyone dispersed to their respective posts, the young girl noticed her sister walking out, knowing that Yang needed some time to herself. The Blonde made her way out of the facility on her own, passing by the other pilots as they made their condolences to the Delta pilots' losses. Exiting the building, the water dam broke as tears began to flow freely from her eyes, causing her to run off to her dorm room quickly, bumping into any civilian on accident.

She eventually reached her Ragnan home by the time the weather started to rain on the city, breathing heavily as she entered the room she once shared with her teammate. She was about to reach over to take off her uniform before noticing a piece of paper addressed to the team, noting that the writing was identical to Blake's. Reaching out to it, she picked it up, opening the piece to reveal a letter from the faunas. Due to her curiousity, she began to read it out in her head, going wide eyed over what was written.

 _Dear Team RWBY,_

 _By the time you girls are reading this, then that means that I have unfortunately passed away during the war against Windermere. I'm aware that all of you, as well as the Delta Platoon and Walkure, are grieving for me as I am no longer with you, but just know that you guys are already like a second family to me, replacing the peaceful White Fang in the past. In cased in this letter is a message to each and every one of you, knowing that you will carry on without me._

 _Ruby: Despite you being the youngest, you have shown great promise during our time at both Beacon and the Delta Platoon, impressing us and our superiors. At the time of my death, I want you to know that my weapon, Gambol Shroud, as well as my VF-31F_ Siegfried _, will be passed down to you. I'm certain that you will find a good use for them, either as a memento, or as replacements in case you lose yours in an event. I know you will make me proud if you have them on your side._

 _Weiss: This may come as a surprise to you, but just as you are the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, I am the daughter of the Chieftain of Menagerie and the founder of the White Fang, Ghira Belladonna. He wanted to achieve equality between the humans and the faunas more than anything, something that I carried when I stayed when the White Fang began to turn violent. By the time you read this, I want you to carry on my father's dream, knowing that you are different from the Schnees that sees faunas as second class citizens. I know that you could achieve that dream in a way my father and I could never think of._

 _Yang: If you are reading this, then I am truly sorry for not returning your feelings in time. I was more than shocked to hear you having feelings, even more so when you kissed me at the jellyfish festival. I was more focused in trying to help Messer when I learned he was a Var infected, even going so far as to assist him further in his battles against the White Knight. Because of that, I was blind to your feelings until that night. I just wanted to know that, even dead, I will be the darkness to your light. To that end, I wish to bestow my belongings to you, so that you'll remember me to the end. Just… do me a favor and at least tame your mane a bit more, or even cut it down._

 _I'm sorry that I had to die during the time of war, but just know that I have no regrets in the end. You girls have always been there for me, up to the point where I can call you my sisters. Please, if you can, continue this battle with renewed vigilance. I want to see a world where everyone is living happily, even if it means ending the White Fang after the war._

 _All of you have made me proud._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Blake Belladonna._

 _Faunas teammate of RWBY and Specialist of Chaos Ragna's Delta Platoon._

Covering her mouth with her hand, Yang didn't realize that Blake cared for her team that much, gulping over her feelings once more. She couldn't believe that her teammate would leave her stuff with her, her hopes and dreams over to Weiss and her weapon and Valkyrie over to Ruby. Clutching the letter firmly in her hands, she moved back until she sat down on her bed, giving herself some time to process the will of the fallen faunas.

While she was lying down in her dorm room, the pair of Ruby and Weiss was overlooking the damage of Blake's VF-31 _Siegfried_ , gasping at the revelation. Like what they saw with Messer's machine, the White Knight used the blade of Project: 'Black' and plunged it through the cockpit, piercing through the faunas' body into the EX-Gear system. Both of them clutched their hands into fists, realizing that the Windermerean ace aimed the weapon to where she would bleed out heavily.

"That White Knight…" the young reaper cursed out. "He aimed that strike."

"We've already begun to repair the machine, Third Lt.," Guy spoke up as he left Messer's machine. "Who knows how long that will be, but we'll do what we can."

* * *

Over on Windermere, repairs on the White Knight's SV-262 Draken III were close towards the finishing stages as Keith made his way over towards the repair team. The blonde male was mentally smirking as his rival Belladonna managed to damage his own fighter before falling to her death, adding one more thing to the list of impressions she left on him. Truly, the way she flew would be remembered as the White Knight approached his fighter.

"Lord Keith," one of the mechanics recognized as he bowed down to him. "To what do we owe the pleasure?"

"I'm just checking over the repairs," he answered back, glancing at the newly installed feet of the Draken in Gerwalk mode. "Any updates?"

"We just finished installing a new pair of thrusters on the SV-262, milord. However, the energy circuits have been overloaded. We apologize, but we may have to give you a new machine."

"Thanks. Continue your work."

"It's no surprise," he turned around to hear Herman speak up with Bogue beside him. "That was quite the battle to behold. If it weren't for that machine that shot you down, I wouldn't have carried you back home."

"Heh, those two were nowhere even close to Lord Keith's level," Bogue insulted the fallen foes of the White Knight, having a smug grin as he continued, unaware that Keith was walking towards him. "It is only natural that two lowlifes challenging the White Knight would meet their fates—" He stopped as a sharp knife neared his throat, gasping in fear as the blonde kept a steel glare. "L-Lord Keith?"

"Could you wake such a wind," he asked the redheaded Windermerean, seeing him eye the weapon. "Could you fly the same way both Grim Reaper and Belladonna flew? Need I remind you that due to your recklessness, you were taken down during the battle of Voldor. Unless you have anything to say, do not disrespect them."

As Bogue tried to step back, he had forgotten that he stood near the edge of the walkway, causing him to lose his balance. Before he could fall, the White Knight sheathed the weapon away before grasping his collar, preventing the Windermerean's fall. He then pulled him back onto the walkway, letting go of him and letting him grasp his knees before walking away, stunning the hothead and causing the senior to sigh out

"What did I say," he asked out, unaware that his rune glowed a light blue hue before being called out by Herman.

"Bogue, Rune!"

The hothead then grasped the rune in his hair, shocked to see them light up before trying to calm himself. As he did, the senior Aerial Knight stood in thought over the condition of the Wind Singer, being one of the many knights that know the risks placed on him. Looking up, Herman could only think of the burden placed on the young Prince Heinz, knowing that he is currently recovering from singing the Song of the Wind towards Al Shahal.

While the Aerial Knights left the hanger bays, leaving the mechanics to work on and repair the SV-262 Draken IIIs, the young prince laid in his chambers, remembering what he went through. During the battle of the desert world, both the fold waves from the Song of the Wind and Walkure's **Walkure Attack** caused a shockwave, pushing the prince down to the ground panting. Flashes of fire, the stars and a burning village were etched into his head, making him clutch his arms as he told Lloyd the experience.

"Everything was burning," he spoke to the chancellor. "Only flames and heat… was that Windermere?"

"I'm terribly sorry, Your Highness," Lloyd apologized, bowing down to the Windermerean prince. "The technology of the Protoculture and its effects are still not fully understood." He then placed his hand on Heinz' forehead. "You must be tired. Please, rest."

The young boy could only nod before leaning his back on the surface of his bed, closing his eyes as the chancellor stood up to leave. Looking back, he can tell that the prince was sleeping to rejuvenate his strength before exiting the room, making his way over to the king's chambers. Thinking about the recent events, he knows it's only a matter of time before the war goes towards an intergalactic state, dragging other globular clusters into the fold.

His thoughts were immediately quelled as he reached the royal chambers, entering through the doors to speak with Gramia. He took note of the appearance of Keith standing by, along with the Epsilon Foundation's Berger Stone waiting with a satisfied look. He then stood to attention, facing the old Windermerean king and shedding any emotions he had before.

"I have arrived," he announced to those present.

"Come," Gramia ordered out, allowing the chancellor to walk over to his bedside.

"Berger, why are you here?"

"I have news for His Majesty," the representative of Epsilon told him, standing his ground as Lloyd glanced over to him. "The capabilities of the Protoculture's great legacy, _Sigur Valens_ , have been analyzed up to 60%. It can now be activated."

"What?!"

"Lloyd, alert all forces," he heard Gramia's strained voice as the oldest Windermerean sat up from his bed, shocking the chancellor. "We are mobilizing."

"Do you intend to go yourself, Your Majesty," he asked the old Windermerean, walking towards him with concern in his face. "You mustn't in your condition."

"The Wind is crying." Lloyd's movements stopped as Gramia continued. "None of it rings from your rune. You are hiding your own uncertainties. Do you fear for Heinz?" He stepped back as the King kept speaking. "He felt the enemy's song, has he not?"

"How do you know?"

"I could feel the disturbance of his wind in my rune," he answered the younger Windermerean. "If this so-called Walkure is this powerful, we must strike with matching preparations. Henceforth, I will personally take control of our forces."

With his determination, both Lloyd and Keith kneeled in respect for the king, knowing that his mind has been made up. The chancellor's mind became conflicted over the thoughts of Gramia taking part of the next oncoming battle, knowing that he may lose his life in the war. His uneasiness was easily noticeable by the White Knight, glancing over to see his eyes narrowed in sorrow.

They eventually parted from the King as he got ready to take control of all Windermerean forces, with Lloyd and Keith making their way over to the outer gardens of Castle Darwent. Exiting out of the Windermerean historical site and meeting the cold embrace, the two men walked closer towards the railing at the side, with Lloyd gazing at the surrounding landscape. Keith, however, made sure that his back was facing the chancellor, staring at the Windermerean architecture in the gardens.

"Lloyd, why are you so concerned about the well-being of Prince Heinz," the White Knight asked the man.

"It is my duty as his retainer," the chancellor replied, not turning to face the Windermerean pilot.

"Even against the will of His Majesty?"

"He is the Wind Singer. The great Protoculture bestowed that gift upon us Windermereans." He then turned slightly, looking at Keith's back while continuing. "Prince Heinz might even become the king of all Protoculture."

"The Protoculture again…"

"The power of the ruins, the Song of the Wind, the water and the apples, are all things they gave to us."

"I recognize your achievements in making use of that, but you're forgetting something important."

"What exactly?"

The White Knight then turned around to face Lloyd's back as he spoke once again. "Our lives are short. We have no time." He then heard the sound of one of the indigenous avians in the skies, making him look up. "Did we not vow? Me from the skies, and you with your wings folded from the ground, would make this nation strong and free it from its tainted past."

"I still feel the same, Keith," Lloyd simply answered him, looking at the horizon.

"I see. However, you were too slow."

With that being said, the White Knight left the chancellor alone, allowing the blue haired Windermerean to gather his thoughts as he took off his glasses. "Too slow? Soon, time itself will not matter."

* * *

The effects of both Messer and Blake's deaths had taken a toll on some of the members of the Delta Platoon, with Yang being affected the most over the faunas' missing form. However, she wasn't the only sibling to be affected as Chuck's sister Marianne cried on the bed the Grim Reaper once laid, his room now devoid of anything that once belonged to him. Because of it, Ruby and Chuck stayed at the _Elysion_ to give them enough space, sitting in one of the briefing rooms with Hayate, Mirage and Weiss.

"My sister's taken it the worse, when she came into his room," he told the news to the guys and girls. "Apparently, Messer told some movers to get rid of all of his belongings. I guess he was always prepared to die or something?"

"That's just like him," Mirage solemnly commented, getting a nod from Ruby.

"Yeah, but all of Blake's stuff is still in the dorm," the young reaper commented. "I don't know about you, but I'm certain that our friend plans on passing her stuff over to us. Whatever it is, it's up to us to split the belongings between us."

"Right," Weiss agreed with her teammate. "I'm fairly sure that we should have them ourselves instead of letting them collecting dust."

"We have no time to mourn," their attention was taken as they looked at Arad, already thinking ahead. "We need to fill in the gap they left and fast." He then brought up profiles of the pilots Chaos has in its roster. "We'll probably get someone from the Alpha, Beta or Gamma Platoons."

"Someone to replace them," Hayate asked out of surprise.

"You look unhappy. I understand what you're thinking, but the Delta Platoon lost much of its combat potential. Can you cover that by yourself?" Hayate's reaction was that of understanding, despite gritting his teeth as his slightly narrowed while the commander continued. "Scared?" The young man's eyes went wide, listening to Arad. "Windermere's not going to wait."

The blue haired teen narrowed his eyes once again before standing up, turning to leave. "I know."

"Hayate," Mirage called out to him as he left them, only for Arad to stop her.

"Let him be. It's probably the first time he lost comrades." He then gazed at the Ruby and Weiss pair. "And as for you girls, it would have to be your second."

"Correct," Weiss confirmed with the middle aged man, standing up slowly. "The first time was the _Vytal Tragedy_ , when the White Fang came and unloaded Grimm on Beacon Academy, slaughtering any human and faunas they could find. Penny was the spark…" memories of the Atlesian android surfaced in her head before looking at Ruby. "…and ended with Pyrrha trying to fight the mastermind. Honestly, we thought that would be the only time."

"Turns out we were both wrong," Ruby spoke up, leaning down on the table. "The war with Windermere drove that point home in our heads." She then looked up to Arad with a determined face. "But we'll make sure it's the last time."

"I see." Arad then stood up, looking at the Third Lt. "Ruby, I want you to come over to the bridge. Seeing as you lead the second division, you have the right to see the next development."

"Uh, sure," the girl acknowledged as she got up from her spot, leaving the room as she walked over to the _Elysion_ 's bridge along with Arad. Weiss could only wonder as to what the commander of Delta would want to show her, but considering her leadership over RWBY as it was the Second Division of the Delta Platoon, it made sense as she would go. She then saw Chuck walk over to her, whispering to her about what would happen later in the night.

Passing the members of Chaos while making their way over to the bridge with Arad, the young reaper noticed that they stopped what they were doing before saluting to the young girl, knowing why they are doing it. She figured it was the personnel's way of showing respect for Blake, the faunas that worked alongside her. She nodded in return, seeing them go back into work as she entered the control room with her senior officer, saluting to the Zentradi.

"At ease," Ernest commanded, seeing her relax before looking at the front. "Ruby, Arad, there is something that we need to show you. Bring up the star map."

"Sending visualization to the main monitor," one of the bridge operators responded, bringing up what the captain requested.

"What's this," Arad asked out of curiosity, getting his answer from Ernest.

"The coordinates of the Protoculture ruins annexed by Windermere so far." He then waited as the map updated, with the planets being surrounded in a circle. "And these are the places that reported hearing the Song of the Wind during the last battle."

The commander gasped at the new info. "It could be heard on all planets with ruins?"

"Not quite." The star map then added in more planets near the ones with the ruins, shocking both the commander and the Third Lt.

"Even on planets without them?!"

"This is crazy," Ruby commented, looking at Ernest. "Is there something else we should know?"

"Yes," he answered the girl as lines appeared, connecting to the holographic planets. "Furthermore, analysis of the ruins in the globular cluster shows that the lines connecting them form a field that covers all the planets."

"That means…" Arad started, having the Zentradi finish for him.

"This is what the Windermereans were after." The blips that represented their home and its neighbor began to pop in and out on the star map as he continued. "Should the ruins on Al Shahal and Ragna fall, they could put all eight billion inhabitants of the cluster under mind control."

"Then what about Remnant," Ruby asked, fearing for the worst. "Would it…"

"No." One of the bridge operators then added in the visual of Ruby's home planet, placing it far from Ragna and out of the field. "You won't have to worry about Windermere taking control of your home, seeing as it's at the very edge of the system. That won't stop them from sending reconnaissance forces towards it, and we can bet the local military there, Atlas, would end up losing to the sovereign nation. They'll be coming, and it'll be soon."

Seeing her being distressed, Arad then spoke out to Ernest. "Then in order to prevent that, we need reinforcements."

"I've already asked Lady M." Ernest then sighed as the star map dissipated, giving him another view of Barrette City. "Now, we pray they make it in time."

* * *

"They took everything from Windermere on that day," Gramia announced, in his High Sovereign outfit and addressing the Aerial Knights. "Our wind, our lives, our pride. On that shameful day our land was scarred, but the days of shame will soon be over." Berger, Lloyd, Heinz and Gale all stood in attention behind him as the king continued. "Today, we mobilize all our forces to annihilate the Earthlings and those allied with them. We will retake all the ruins and secure the Starwind Sector. We, the true inheritors of the Protoculture, shall free the globular cluster. May the wind… bring us Glory."

After his speech, the Windermereans that served as the Aerial Knights forces cheered out to the king's declaration, having their voices roar all over. At the same time, the mountainous regions near the town of Darwent began to move, not due to tectonic shifting, but to the modern engineering the people of Windermere had achieved. Appearing out of it, a large warship built in the same way as the Protoculture ruins on the other world appeared out of the ground, slowly rising up until it was out of the surface.

" _Sigur Valens_ … ARISE," Gramia shouted out in the warship's control room. "Our target: Al Shahal."

As the warship continued to ascend up to the ground, the sheer size of the _Sigur Valens_ had garnered the attention of the Windermerean civilian populace. Instead of cowering in fear, the people instead stood to marvel the sight, and recognizing the importance, began to salute and bow towards the Protoculture fortress. Lloyd was ecstatic to know that the Protoculture ruins he had observed over the years now soar the skies, standing in awe as he stood beside Berger.

"Has it… really been revived," he asked out, unsure if he was dreaming or not.

"It is no dream, Lord Lloyd," the businessman assured him. "The heritage of the Protoculture, this ship you excavated, the _Sigur Valens_ , now takes on the skies once again. We should thank His Majesty for letting us on board."

The warship continued its venture in the skies of Windermere, passing by the crater spouting out lightning underneath it. The crater, created by the detonation of a Dimensional Bomb, scars the planet, marking the shame Windermere had endured for seven years. Because of that scar, Windermere's hatred for mankind escalated to the point of war, even going so far as to deploy the Var to cripple their enemies.

"That is the loss of Windermere," Gramia told his son, Heinz. "The fight shall not be over until we reclaim all that was lost there, Heinz Nehrich Windermere."

"As you say, Your Majesty."

* * *

Once night descended once more on Ragna, the skies have cleared from the heavy rain earlier in the day, giving the planet and its inhabitants a clear starry night. Looking out of the window, Yang, still holding onto the letter left behind by her partner, had grown to appreciate the time she had to herself. Knowing that she had enough time to mourn for Blake, the blonde stood up from her bed, stretching her body to relieve it of the aches and pains of the day. Looking back at the piece of paper, she decided to let her sister and their heiress teammate have a look at what's written down for them.

Realizing that she still wore the uniform from the funeral service, she immediately began to change out of them, grabbing a grey zip up sweater, her bikini top, a pair of grey-brown cargo pants and white sneakers with blue laces. She stripped down to her underwear before applying the change of close, making sure to replace her bra with her bikini piece. With the jacket and pants on, she placed her feet in the shoes, tying down the knots properly to make sure they were on properly. Finished, she left the sweater unzipped before grabbing the letter, folding it so that she could fit it in her pocket. She made her way over towards the door when she heard knocking, wondering as to who would come to her dorm.

"Yang, its Weiss," she heard the heiress' voice, making her walk towards it. "Are you free right now?"

"Yeah," she answered her, popping her neck. "I was just about to go find you guys."

"Good thing I came to you first." The blonde only smiled to the gesture before hearing Weiss continue. "Listen, I was about to head over to the beach to meet up with Chuck. He actually sent me over to come get you."

"The beach? Why are we going there? Isn't it pretty dark for a swim?"

"If you can open this door, I can properly tell you why." That got Yang to crack a smile as she opened the door, seeing the heiress wearing a white sundress and sandals. "Oh, you're all ready for the beach. Perfect, it saves me time to drag you out of your uniform."

"Weiss, what is going on—Hey?!" She felt her hand grabbed as she was dragged out of the building by Weiss, walking over to their destination. Taking a look at the surroundings, Yang was surprised to see most of the lights have went out for the night, with a few huts sitting in the water lit up to show the Ragnan families still awake. Walking down the steps onto the sandy beach, she followed her sister's partner as Weiss lead her further away from the city, only to stop at the site of a growing campfire and a small set up, looking to see Chuck, Freyja, Mirage, Ruby, Makina, Reina and Marianne.

"Glad you could make it, sis," Ruby spoke up to the shocked blonde. "I was wondering when you would come around."

"Ruby, what is going on here," she asked the young reaper, seeing Chuck tend to the fire.

"We'll tell you when Hayate gets here—Oh, speak of the devil," The Ragnan said out as he noticed the young Immelmann walk over, escorted by his little siblings. "What took you so long?"

"What are you guys doing," he asked out in curiosity, in the same boat as Yang.

"Exactly what I'm thinking," she thought out after him, placing her arms on her hips. "What's with the camp set up?"

"You can't tell," Chuck asked out, standing up before smiling. "We're returning them to the jellyfish."

"What?"

"Excuse me," the young man asked out.

"Exactly what Chuck said, guys," Weiss said with a sad smile. "Both Messer and Blake… we're sending them to the jellyfish."

"Look," they turned to see Zack and Hack two objects covered in drapes, removing them to reveal two miniature VF-31 _Siegfried_ models, colored in the two fallen pilots' signature colors. The blonde slowly walked over to them, feeling the wooden surface of the replicas before stopping at Blake's emblem. She faintly smiled as the detail put into it, nodding to the brothers before turning over to her teammates.

"Is this what you're planning," she whispered out, tearing up lightly as they nodded. "You didn't have to."

"It's pretty much tradition here, Sun Dragon," Chuck told her, walking passed Hayate. "On Ragna, we believe that the spirits of the dead return to the see and turn into shining jellyfish. They swim in the sea, and their pains are eased over time. Once all their pain is gone, they are reborn. In order for them to turn into jellyfish, we put their souls on a ship and send them off at sea. We drink and sing in remembrance."

"Chuck…"

"I was going to explain, but after the service, you left without a word, Yang." He then placed his arm on Hayate's shoulder. "And you ran off by yourself, buddy."

"Guys…" Smiling, the blonde walked over to Ruby and Weiss, digging out the letter before handing it over to them. "Here. Blake's final wishes."

The two girls were shocked to hear it before opening the letter, reading word for word before letting their feelings sink in. They never had known that Blake felt that way towards them before, but as they kept reading it, their own eyes began to tear up as their hands clutched onto it. The blonde worried that she had done something wrong, until she saw them leaving a small smile, thinking about what the faunas would want from them. Handing back the letter, they all smiled to one another, knowing that they'll do Blake proud.

"Seems like she gave us quite a challenge, Yang," Weiss started, wiping a tear off her face. "Especially me. How does she expect me to improve the relations between humans and faunas?"

"That's something for you to figure out, Weiss," Yang answered her. "But, I believe she knows you can do it."

"Yeah… you're right."

"She'll be watching over us from now on," Ruby spoke up, pulling out Gambol Shroud that she had in her possession. "I never got to give this back to her since she handed it to me after Voldor… Guess I have to hold onto it."

"Sis," Yang started, startling the girl. "You mind if I borrow that?"

"Uh… sure?" Ruby then handed the weapon over to the blonde, who graciously took it before reaching out to her hair and grabbing it. Breathing heavily, she had Weiss unsheathe it before putting it closer to her hand, making sure that it doesn't accidentally cut herself. Letting out one more breathe, she made one swift movement with the weapon, cutting her hair down before letting go of it, letting it down to see it down to shoulder length and shocking her sister and teammate.

"Yang… why would you," Weiss asked, shocked to see her without the long mane anymore.

"I guess… I'm turning over a new leaf… for her," she answered her question, handing Gambol Shroud back to Ruby. "Besides, she always pestered me to cut it down before."

"Ah, I see everyone's here," they turned to see Arad arrive with Kaname, Ernest and the bridge operators, each holding a bag of food and drinks. "Looks like I missed something important."

"Yeah, Yang had her first haircut in forever," Ruby spoke up with a smile.

"I see that." He then approached Chuck before handing a bottle to him. "Here, it's my contribution."

"Ahh, thank—" Chuck started as he grabbed it before freaking out at what it was. "WAIT, IS THIS 20-YEAR-OLD BANANA SAKE?! WHERE DID YOU GET THIS BABY?!"

The commander only chuckled at his response before speaking again. "I wanted to drink it with Messer one day."

The other pilots could only frown lightly over the mention of the fallen Grim Reaper, prompting the Ragnan to walk up to him. "Let's drink it… in his stead."

"Liar," Reina called him out, deadpanning. "You're only drinking for yourself."

"WHAT?!"

His expression caused the young Windermerean girl to laugh at his expense, creating a chain reaction as Chuck looked at everyone laughing at him before talking back at Reina. Everything eventually calmed down as the group gathered around the campfire, with Zack and Hack grabbing an acoustic guitar and playing **Remember 16** by Fire Bomber, singing out the lyrics to the group. As they did, each of the pilots separated into their little groups, with the remaining girls of RWBY huddled in one spot.

"You know, I got to thinking…" Weiss started, looking at the fire. "Before everything… back when I was back at Atlas before coming to Beacon… I never realized that my life would go like this at all."

"You were kind of crabby back when we first met," Ruby reminded her, shivering over the memory of her shoving a pamphlet in front of her face. "You assumed I cheated my way into Beacon."

"To be fair, you did get an early invite by Ozpin," Yang told her, looking up in the sky. "He knew you have that skill to be in it. I just had to wonder if he knew about your skill as a Valkyrie pilot."

"I'm not so sure if he does," the heiress spoke up, poking the fire with a stick. "If you think about it, those VF-171 _Nightmares_ in Mistral were completely hidden underground. If he had that sort of knowledge, combat against the Grimm would have been made more smoothly, and Huntsmen and Huntresses would have been trained as pilots instead."

"Plus, when I boarded one of them, there was so much dust that collected on the fighters," Ruby added in. "I think it may be because they haven't been used in… I don't know, a few hundred years?"

"I guess we'll have to figure it out in the long run." Weiss then thought about what she said before. "Back to what I said, if Ozpin would have had knowledge on Valkyries, then everyone would have known about them, including the White Fang. I would bet you that Blake wouldn't stand them using them for their acts."

"She was more into peace between humans and faunas," Yang mentioned, patting the pocket that held the letter. "It will be tough telling everyone what happened to her."

"How would you think they would react?" The white themed girl looked at her. "They wouldn't believe a word we say unless we have proof. And even then, how would they react when we tell them she was killed by the Windermereans?"

The Blonde could only frown, digging out of her pants pocket to pull out a long piece of black cloth, causing both girls to go wide eyed over the sight. It was Blake's ribbon, the same cloth that she wore when she had to cover her cat ears, making them wonder when she had it in her possession. They then watched as Yang cut it up into three pieces, handing two of them over to her teammates. Looking at one another, they applied their piece of the ribbon on in their way, with Ruby's wrapped on her arm as Weiss does up her hair into a messier bun, making sure that her locks are sticking out before tying the ribbon.

Everyone saw the change in the remaining girls of Team RWBY, smiling as they are starting to move on over the death of their friend and fellow pilot. Arad and Ernest were surprised to see the girls change their appearances, but if it helped them cope over the loss of Blake, then they could only nod and accept it. They then saw Hayate having his conversation with Mirage and Freyja over Messer, knowing they can't change what happened in the past.

"Captain, sorry for running late," they all stopped to see Guy and Harry approach them, holding onto a data pad. "We found this in the Lieutenant's unit. We wanted to check if it was a private item of his, but it's apparently a flight log."

Going wide eyed over the new piece of information, the group that had gathered over to the campfire as Chuck took it into his hands, opening it up to read the contents. "Let's see… August 6th. Second Lieutenant Chuck Mustang. Used too much propellant at high altitudes. August 10th. Sergeant Yang Xiao Long. During a combat scenario, she exercised lack of caution when throwing punches in Battroid Mode. August 16th. Second Lieutenant Mirage Farina Jenius. Only during rapid descends, she tends to ease the pitch of her plane. August 19th. Sergeant Hayate Immelmann and Third Lieutenant Ruby Rose. The former's use of the engine during a turn was too careless. The latter used too much propellant during a fast turn in Battroid mode when using Project: 'Red.' August 21st. During the Immelmann dance, Hayate's unit skewed toward the left. It must be a miniscule delay due to using his non-dominant leg."

"He's always been observing us," Ruby commented on the flight log's information.

"What an attention to detail…" Hayate added in

"He must have loved flying," Freyja spoke up, grabbing everyone's attention as her rune glowed a light pink. "I love singing. I love to watch Walkure—Mikumo, Kaname, Makina and Reina—sing. Messer must've felt the same way about you all. He Must've." She shed a single tear as she looked up with a smile. "He wouldn't have watched you all so closely otherwise."

"I see," Mirage spoke in awe, looking up to the stars. "His love for flying is what made him so beautiful in the air. That's why it was so enthralling to us."

Hayate could only look down, now knowing how Messer truly is when Hack spoke up. "He always said you had nothing in your head."

"At least quote him correctly," his older brother Zach reminded him. "He used to say he flies as if he's got nothing else in his head."

"Oh, right." The young sibling laughed before speaking up to Mirage. "And also that Mirage is clumsy and always serious, but that she's straightforward in a good way."

"Really," the young man asked the little Ragnan, shocked over what Messer told them. "He never said anything like that."

"He might've been trying to keep his distance," Arad explained to him. "Because if he got to close, you wouldn't be able to finish him off if he lost control."

"And we were supposed to figure that out?" Hayate then glared at the fire as he continued. "Don't just look all smart as if you knew the answer."

No one could say another word as what Hayate spoke out was true. They never knew what would actually happen if Messer were to completely lose control over himself to the Var Syndrome, looking down at the fire. The silence was over as Chuck returned the flight log to the captain, walking over to the young man and placing his hand on his shoulder.

"Come on," he started, looking at him and RW(B)Y. "Let's send them off."

They all nodded to what he said as the girls walked over, picking up the small model of Blake's VF-31 _Siegfried_ at the same time Hayate grabbed Messer's with Zack and Hack. Walking into the water, they moved a few feet away from the beachhead, only stopping as the water reached their waists. Looking over towards the Ragnan siblings they waited for the right signal to launch the crafts through the ocean.

"Ready, and…" the brothers counted down in unison before pushing the craft out with Hayate, followed by the girls as the models made their way over to the beyond. Each and every one of them watched as the models representing the two VF-31s sailed across the waters, keeping a solemn expression until Mikumo started walking through the water. They all looked at her as she sang out **GIRAFFE BLUES** , with Kaname questioning what she was doing until she was joined by Freyja, making it into a duet.

"I can't just gobble down jellyfish anymore," Reina commented. "I might be eating Messer."

"Kind of ironic," Yang spoke up, grabbing Ruby and Weiss' attention as Makina and Reina joined in on the song. "We all know how much Blake loves tuna… now; she'll actually swim with them."

"Commander, you were right," they turned around to listen to Hayate. "I was scared by Messer's death and that there was someone stronger than him out there. And that I could do nothing about it." Arad could only smile as the young man continued. "I've made up my mind. We don't need any replacements. I'll fly Messer's share too."

"And the same goes to us, Arad," Ruby spoke up, turning to face the man. "It wouldn't be right if we had someone else replace Blake in the Delta Platoon. Therefore, we'll be flying her share as well."

With their own minds made up, the words of both Ruby Rose and Hayate Immelmann had the leading officer of the Delta Platoon to accept their decision, making the fighter squadron into a squad of seven. Looking out towards Walkure, they are surprised to see Kaname slowly walk up towards the girls, stopping beside Mikumo as the Venus stopped singing, prompting Freyja to continue in her place.

"He shone brighter than anyone else on that day," she told the red headed singer, smiling at her. "You too, Kaname."

"Freyja's not your only rival," the sound unit leader spoke out, looking out to the horizon. "There are people out there who hold my songs close to their hearts. So I'm going to sing stronger than anyone else."

With that said, she placed her hand over her chest, breathing in and out before singing out the final chorus of **GIRAFFE BLUES** , shedding a few tears in the process. She was immediately joined by the other members, singing to their hearts content as the night sky eventually became a new dawn. As they sang, the rafts that represented the fallen pilot's _Siegfried_ s became more distant than before, eventually disappearing from their sights while sailing the Ragnan waters.

* * *

 **A/N: Why is it that when I become more focused on typing my chapters, not taking a break by playing video games and watching anime, the update to my fic becomes faster?**

 **So, in the end of this chapter, we now see the RWBY characters going over a minor appearance change that will stay prominent for the rest of the fic: Yang and Weiss' hair. By doing that, it shows that they are now growing more as 'Macross AU' characters,' moving on from Blake's death. The choice to have Yang with her hair down to the shoulders was heavily inspired by fan art that depicts it, and I have to say she looks amazing with short hair. Long hair or short hair, Yang is still badass in her own way. And as for Weiss… well, look up the character Sheena Fujibayashi on google and have a look at her hair, cause that is what Weiss' will look like for the rest of the fic. Also, the end scene at the end of the episode this chapter was based on… I'm saving that for the beginning of the next. There's no point in doing a cliffhanger that would replay in the beginning of the next episode, unless I really shorten the dialogue.**

 **Review Replies:**

 **Alexwu704:** _ **Good work, I have a feeling Keith is going to get what's coming for him in the later chapter with Hayate or Yang.**_

 _ **Or maybe Ruby because it's the White Knight vs. the Red Rose or the Yellow Sun.**_

 **I don't think Yang would be regarded as the Yellow Sun as her emblem is, in fact, a burning heart. But yeah, Keith will get what is coming to him.**

 **Marcus the Kane:** _ **Bzzzttt…**_

 _ **Bye bye Blake! You will be missed… in this fic. Great chapter!**_

 _ **Bzzzttt…**_

 **That is true. There are a whole bunch of fan fics that have Blake alive, and I mean a lot. Really, I mean there are a lot of them.**

 **Wee-0wee-0:** _ **Woah… that ending was… a total shocker… I'm… I'm at a loss for words… but… wow… But look on the bright side, she and Messer can be together… in the afterlife.**_

 **Uh oh, did I accidentally break you with the ending of that last chapter? I did tell you to have a box of tissues ready, didn't I? Though, I have to say, that last comment was a little dark, even if it's true.**

 **Yuiharime:** _ **So, this is what you're talking about… well, it's your fic so I think you did the right thing. It's sad, but like I said sad moments are very essential for a good fic. Please keep it up.**_

 **Thank you. And I thought I might have dropped some hints as to depicting the fate she was going to share with Messer. But yeah, even when I typed it, I had a few tears in my eyes, telling me that I'm also affected by the choice I made.**

 **Duel:** _ **Wow, you're pumping chapters pretty quickly, you sure your writing can keep up?**_

 _ **GOD DAMMIT! I can understand Messer(that hole went all the way through to the other side of his ARMS X-Gear, so there's definitely no way he'd survive that), but Blake?! Though, honestly speaking, the way you described the damage to her VF-31 sounds quite survivable(by Macross standards), so I'm kinda hoping you pull a "Ozma" with her.**_

 ** _And the reason I pointed out the PPB blade thing is because I, personally, think it would be interesting if Ruby found out who "Crimson" is from her swordplay._**

 ** _also, I noticed that I missed something MAJOR from your earlier chapters: The VF-17 Nightmares were only introduced by General Galaxy in 2035, and it's MP version, the VF-171 Nightmare Plus, in 2046, so for those units to be that old, the older generation like Ozpin and Ironwood should have knowledge about them, not clueless enough to think it belonged to the White Fang. A more acceptable VF that would be more reasonable for it's age on Remnant would be something like the VF-11C Thunderbolt, or even older like the VF-4 Lightning III_**

 ** _One last thing: we know what planes the delta canon members are flying(VF-31S Arad, VF-31F Messer, VF-31E Chuck, VF-31C Mirage, VF-31J Hayate, Sv-262Hs Keith, Sv-262Ba Aerial Knights Windermere red-shirts), but what models(if they aren't flying Kairos') are the RWBY members piloting, like: is the White Rose's Messiah a VF-25A(MP), VF-25G(Sniper variant), VF-25F(Specialist variant), or a VF-25S(Commander variant)? (I can pretty much conclude from your statements that Gale is flying a Sv-262Hs Draken III commander model)_**

 **First, it would have to depend on a few things: If my laptop is readily available to me when I wake up in the model or if mom is using it (seriously, quit the Facebook games, mom. Or use the phone) and if I am working on my scheduled days. Considering that this chapter is being released earlier, that's because I have both Tuesday and Wednesday off, and my laptop wasn't being used.**

 **I'm going to have to say that you answered your comment in the next review of yours after XY Kid's, but the blade that impacted her was sized up so that it can be used by a Valkyrie. And even if her injuries are survivable by Macross standards, take into account that it may have pierced any major arteries, resulting in a faster bloodloss.**

 **As for Ruby figuring out Gale's actual Identity, it won't be until the third arc of this fic, which will be original content.**

 **Now, I should go off a bit and say one thing. The reason why I chose the VF-171s instead of the ones mentioned by you is because they were the first Valkyrie I saw when I started watching Macross with Frontier. Plus, while it will be explained in the third arc, what I can say is that their appearance on Remnant is due to an accident in fold jumping. Think about it this way, what if the bases they were in were in fact N.U.N.S. cruisers that once tried to fold jump to another location, using the old fold drives that were used until Frontier's episode when Lucca gave a new gen drive to Mikhail, allowing him to travel to another world without hitting a fold fault and extending the time in the jump. So, if a cruiser made a jump with an old drive and got caused in an accident, that accident may cause the cruiser to travel back in time. It may sound stupid, but that is my theory. As it stands, we still don't know much about fold jumping. And, Ozpin may have known about the VF-171s, but under the promise of Beacon's previous headmaster that I'll make up, he has made a vow to keep that knowledge hidden.**

 **And ahh, the variants of the Valkyries. In the fic, Blake mentioned in her letter that her variant was a VF-31F, but here's what the others pilot and their specs.**

 **Ruby's: VF-31J with an attachable Valkyrie sized Crescent Rose collapsible Sniper Scythe.**

 **Weiss': VF-31C with an upcoming Project: 'White', borrowing the techniques of the SV-262Hs by having a PPB Rapier appear out of the left leg.**

 **Yang's: VF-31E sans the retractable radar dish. Her Valkyrie comes with armored forearms that act as part of Project: 'Yellow,' based on her Ember Celica weapons. With them, the gun pods were removed, and the project takes another feature from the SV-262 as the forearms open to reveal the Valkyrie's guns.**

 **Blake's: VF-31F with the foreward swept wings fashioned to look like blades. When in Battroid mode, the blades become detachable to become Project: 'Black,' based on her Gambol Shroud weapon.**

 **White Rose's: VF-25SR. Battroid head is similarly shaped like the VF-25F, it was heavily modified to look more like a dragon's. Customized by the White Rose herself, the Valkyrie maintains its primary weapons with the addition of arm mounted gun pods and comes equipped with speaker drones, being used to play Sheryl Nome and/or Ranka Lee songs as a sign that she has arrived. After confrontation with N.U.N.S. survivors under Captain Jude Mathis, she has since ran out of speaker drones.**

 **(SR stands for the pilot's initials)**

 **XY Kid:** _ **Now that's a very shocking end… it was really good. I wonder how the folks back on Remnant will feel once they hear of Blake's death… Sun, her parents or even Adam.**_

 **Have I shocked everybody with her death? In regards to your question, the reactions may be mixed. Sun would initially think it to be a joke, but once he sees them being serious about the topic, he would go into denial about it. Her parents, Kali and Ghira, would obviously break down into tears as a parent's worst fear is having a child dying before them. And as for Adam, seeing as how much of an asshole he is, he may just pin the blame on the humans, even though it was Windermere that took her life. Have you already seen what he has done? He's the type of person that would kill anyone in his way, whether they were human or faunas.**

 **Duel:** _ **And bloody fan fiction changed my review AGAIN.  
Meant to say EX-Gear, but the system somehow changed it to "ARMS X-gear" (F***ing really?)**_

 _ **Anyway, small change: didn't notice the stabbing by VF-sized sword in my surprised stupor, RIP Blake (in this fic, anyways), I hope you deal with Messer's funeral properly.**_

 _ **And now that I've re-read it carefully, there is NO WAY Blake's VF-31 is as remotely salvageable compared to Messer's.**_

 **Again? Someone should inform the system about this changing reviews thing.**

 **While not remotely. Her VF-31 can be salvageable, but it would take either a lot more time or crew to have it fixed up for the next encounter against Windermere. Like with what you mentioned about movies, it shouldn't be long for it to be back in working order, albeit it would take longer for a proper fix.**

 **I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. What do you think? Leave a Favorite, Follow and Review.**

 **In terms of the name, I had to use google translate for the latin name for the chapter.**

 **Amare Memoriae: In Loving Memory.**

 **With that out of the way, I'm BlazefireDrago, signing out.**


	16. Lord of the Skies

**Disclaimer: RWBY is owned by Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth Productions, while Macross is owned by Shoji Kawamori and Studio Satelight.**

* * *

In the orbit of Al Shahal, a desert world that has been attacked by the Var Zentradi and the Aerial Knights in the past, a larger N.U.N.S. garrison fleet stood ready with their assault crafts and aircraft carriers. Due to the previous battles involving Windermere, with the Zentradi falling into a mindless mob and previous garrison fleets destroyed, the N.U.N.S. wasn't going to take their chances and let the planet fall. They have prepared for the Aerial Knights to arrive when alarms started to come to life.

"What's happening," one of their captains asked out to observations.

"De-fold signals," was his answer as they oversaw an anomaly. "We're detecting something immense! It's a ship, but…"

In their confusion, a fold gate unlike any they have seen before has opened, and with it coming out of it was a fleet of Windermerean variant Macross warships, accompanied by a ship of unknown origin to them. To Windermere, it was the _Sigur Valens_ , the ancient Protoculture cruiser maintained and repaired by the sovereign nation and the Epsilon Foundation. On board it, the king of Gramia Nehrich Windermere stood tall in the control room, feeling his runes faintly glow and giving him the signal.

"The wind is blowing," he remarked before shouting out to the Wind Singer. "Let us begin, HEINZ!"

In another part of the _Sigur Valens_ , the young prince stood at the altar where the sound system was located, steeling himself for the coming battle between his people and the forces of the N.U.N.S. Hearing the voice of Gramia, he opened his eyes as the sound system activated, his runes now flowing to the wind produced by the machine. He began to draw out a long breath to initiate the attack as the N.U.N.S. garrison fleet already mobilized.

"ALL SHIPS, ARM MAIN TURRETS," the commanding officer ordered out as the warships weapons charged up, aiming at the _Sigur Valens_. "FIRE!"

Upon command, the N.U.N.S. fleet opened fire on the Windermerean fleet at the same time Heinz started the Song of the Wind, focusing his energy into it. As the blasts neared the Windermerean forces, the amplified power of the sound system increased the strength of the song, causing a dimensional barrier to appear and protect the invading force from the attacks. The blasts instead passed through, not hitting their targets and shocking the leading caption with the visuals before glaring at observations.

"WHAT'S HAPPENING," He asked out in a mix of shock and rage.

"Impossible," the officer muttered in shock. "The Song of the Wind is generating a dimensional rift. Our weapons can't harm it."

With the Windermerean forces unharmed and closing in on the garrison fleet, the Song of the Wind continued its course as a satisfied Gramia watched on with an unfazed Gale and a shocked Lloyd. Things have gotten worse for the human armada as the song began to take its toll on the soldiers, with them clutching their bodies as the Var Syndrome surfaced inside them. It wasn't limited to just the N.U.N.S. forces as the civilians of Shahal City also began to show symptoms, interrupting their routines as car crashes occurred all over.

The Song of the Wind's reach didn't end at just Al Shahal, for the planets holding the Protoculture ruins began to hear it as well including, including Ragna. Walkure stopped what they were doing as the Windermerean song echoed in their ears, with Kaname asking out what was happening. Even the members of the Delta Platoon, overlooking the preparations of their VF-31 _Siegfrieds_ , halted what they were doing when they heard the tune.

One such pilot was Ruby, as she was overlooking the progress of Project: 'White' when the Song of the Wind went into her ears. Beforehand, she was going over each of the simulated tests the project went through, only to meet in failure. Because of the Song, she halted the virtual visuals for Weiss' upcoming weapon for her VF-31, turning to see her fellow pilots wondering where it was coming from as alarms blared to life in the hanger bays.

" _To all aerial units: Belay the previous order,"_ they all heard on the intercoms. _"Abort launch preparations. I repeat…_ "

"Did something happen," Yang asked out loud, prompting Arad to contact the bridge of the _Elysion_ , connecting him to Ernest with the Delta Platoon.

"What's going on," he asked the Zentradi captain, only for the Zentradi to cross his arms.

"Al Shahal has fallen," he announced in a solemn voice, shocking the pilots as he continued. "It took less than fifteen minutes, and the N.U.N.S. forces stationed there have fallen silent."

As the situation dawned onto the members of Chaos, the _Sigur Valens_ and the Windermerean fleet descended down to the surface of Al Shahal, where the civilians and the N.U.N.S. forces unaffected looked up in fear to the massive Protoculture warship. Many have begun to wonder what happened to the fleet that was stationed in orbit, thinking either it was destroyed or taken over by the Windermerean's mind control. As the ships descended further, getting closer to the Protoculture ruins, the chancellor observed the fold waves produced by the Wind Singer, marvelling over the power.

"The power of the Protoculture…" he started, looking up as he smiled. "…is even greater than I had thought."

* * *

With the situation against Windermere worsened in the globular cluster with the sovereign nation taking control of the majority, all remaining forces began to rendezvous over to Ragna, with many warships exiting out of the fold gates. Ranging from other Chaos divisions to what was left of the N.U.N.S. forces; soldiers of all uniforms entered the atmosphere of the water world, flying in close proximity of the Macross fortress. The skies in Ragna will never be the same from now on.

While inside the _Elysion_ , many of the pilots have welcomed their brothers and sisters in arms, relieved to know that they are safe. The meeting room was filled to the brim with pilots chatting away with one another, something that the girls of RW(B)Y were proud to see. One pilot was walking over to her seat before getting whistled at, making her groan in annoyance as Yang shook her head over the action.

"I know how you feel, girl," Yang muttered out while shaking her head. "I know how you feel."

"Whoa…" Freyja started out in awe, surprised to see more pilots in uniform. "There are so many people…"

"Well, forces from all around the cluster have gathered here," Makina told her with a smile, followed by Chuck.

"Along with the survivors from the annexed planets."

"And they're all gathering here," Ruby asked them, tightening the piece of ribbon on her arm.

"We all need the extra firepower, Ruby," Weiss reminded her. "It makes sense, considering that Ragna's the only planet with resistance left, we need all the help we could get."

"I just hope it doesn't turn out like the _Vytal Tragedy_ ," the blonde muttered, placing her hands on her head. "And if it does, at least we don't have Grimm to worry about."

"Instead of White Fang and Grimm, it's the Kingdom of Windermere and any Var controlled N.U.N.S. forces."

The chatter immediately died down as the three familiar forms of Ernest, Arad and Kaname came into the meeting room, standing in attention on the stage. Everyone, from Walkure, the Delta Platoon and the remaining pilots sat in attention as the senior officers and the leader of the tactical sound unit started to compile the information of the current situation. The Zentradi then looked at all of the faces, smiling briefly before looking serious.

"I see everyone's here," he started out, loud enough to address the whole room as he placed his hands on his waist. "I see plenty of faces that brings back memories, but we've got no time to chat about the old days. Let's begin the briefing."

"First, take a look at this," Kaname took the stage, bringing up a holographic display of the _Sigur Valens_ and inciting comments from the pilots. "We believe this is Windermere's flagship. Judging by the waveform of its fold reactors, we suspect it was built 500,000 years ago by the Protoculture."

"That long ago," Weiss muttered out in shock.

"How did the Windermereans get a hold of it," one of the pilots asked Walkure's leader.

"We don't know," she answered her, keeping a firm look. "However, we detected bio-fold waves of unprecedented magnitudes. It's extremely likely that the Wind Singer is on board that ship."

She allowed everyone to digest the information into their heads before Ernest took the stage once more, bringing up a visual display of Windermere's current leadership. "Just earlier, King Gramia VI of Windermere announced that they have 'liberated' Al Shahal from the N.U.N.S. Their next target is definitely Ragna."

"His majesty," Freyja whispered out.

"So they brought the head honcho along," Hayate commented on the info.

"They're going all in," Mirage added in her own thoughts.

"This is going to be a tough battle," Ruby whispered out, placing her hand on her chin. "But we now know who's in charge of Windermere's assault." She then frowned as thoughts of the _Vytal tragedy_ came too. "If it was the same back home… Beacon would have been saved."

"The question now is when they'll come," one of the pilots asked out, only to be answered by Mikumo.

"Not anytime soon, if you're wondering. A song of such power must put a tremendous burden on its singer."

"How do you know?"

The mysterious Venus could only answer as the obvious question before speaking again. "I know best of all people."

"After using the Song of the Wind," Kaname regained everyone's attention, continuing to speak. "They have never attacked in the following 24 hour time period."

" _He who strikes first wins_ ," Ernest spoke up. "We will ambush Al Shahal before the counter resets."

"Al Shahal," another pilot asked out curiosity. "Why not Windermere?"

"Making a fold to Windermere is risky business due to the dimensional rift surrounding the planet. Also, King Gramia is at Al Shahal."

"The ambush will be carried out by the Ragnan forces, mainly the Delta Platoon and Walkure," Arad spoke out for the first time. "We've been listening to Walkure's songs for a long time. Thus, we likely have a higher tolerance to the Song of the Wind than anyone else."

The pilots of Delta could only smile at the revelation as the Zentradi captain spoke once more. "All other units are to defend Ragna. Operation commences at 0400. That's all. Dismissed!"

When the lights came back on as the holographic displays shut down, everyone that attended the briefing went off to go over their battle plans, leaving Ruby to tend back to the simulations for Project: 'White.' While she was able to fully implement her's, Blake's and Yang's weapons onto the _Siegfried_ s, albeit with a few changes, whenever she looked over the visuals, she can't seem to figure out how to implement Myrtenaster onto Weiss' VF-31. Sighing in irritation, she shut off her own datapad, hoping to get assistance from Makina or the maintenance crew.

Catching up to her Platoon, she had noticed that the pilots are talking about the oncoming battle against Windermere, having their discussions about the possibility of the Var showing up. The girls knew that it would be inevitable that if the forces of Windermere showed up, then the Var Syndrome would most likely follow suit thanks to the Song of the Wind. The Platoon was just about to move back towards their Valkyries when they heard a familiar voice to them.

"First Lt. Mirage, Second Lt. Ruby," they stopped to see Arad walking towards them, with the mentioned shocked over what they heard.

"Wait… what…" Ruby stuttered out.

"First Lt.,' Mirage muttered in surprise, leading the two girls to go wide eyed.

"You two have been promoted," he said out in a smile, looking at Mirage. "With this operation, you're my second-in-command. Your callsign will be Delta 02." He then looked at Ruby. "And considering that you're now a Second Lt., you're now Delta 04."

"Huh… we're… Delta…" was all that the young reaper could stutter out as Arad continued, hearing the praises from the others.

"I'm the aide to this operation's commander in chief, so I have to oversee all units. The Delta Platoon is now in your hands, girls." Both Mirage and Ruby's faces lit up with nervousness, making the man chuckle before placing his hands on their shoulders. "Don't make those faces. We'll discuss the details later. I'm counting on you two, First and Second Lieutenants."

That that said, the man eventually let go before making off towards the bridge, leaving the newly promoted Ruby and Mirage in shock until they saluted. As they did, Yang immediately hugged her little sister, proud that she is still surpassing the limits placed on her beforehand. Weiss joined in with a hand on her shoulder, knowing that her teammate will do her best from now on while ensuring that she'd stay focused.

* * *

Despite dropping the numbers of the Var controlled pilots of the N.U.N.S., the White Rose had a hunch that it was going to be a one sided fight. She had already made certain that she knew what Ruby and the Delta Platoon were up too, keeping up with the Chaos databanks on her console. She felt bad when she heard that they had lost both Messer and Blake, losing their lives to the White Knight, she knew that they would eventually get back on their feet.

Knowing that the battle will eventually escalate further to Ragna, the pilot flew her VF-25 _Messiah_ over to her designated resupply station, comprised of her own private carrier given to her by the S.M.S. Entering the hanger bay, she shifted the Valkyrie into Gerwalk mode as the entryway closed behind her before landing the fighter, exiting as it shut down. Jumping down, she began to make her observations from her previous battles with the Var, frowning at the results.

She had lost yet another gun pod that could be used by the _Messiah_ , tossed aside when she ran out of ammo during a skirmish with a VF-171. Both of the arm mounted gun pods were accounted for, albeit with a few burns on the barrels due to over usage. The pilot then noticed singed marks on the wings of the VF-25, realizing that she was starting to cut it close with the dogfights with the Var. To her luck, she had only used up one salvo of missiles in the skirmishes, knowing that the explosives won't do much in the fights.

Taking it all into account, the pilot grabbed her datapad and typed in a few commands, seeing the machines come to life before beginning their work on the Valkyrie. Setting a course over to Ragna on the commands, she firmly believes that she'll get to it in time of the battle, knowing that Ruby, Walkure and the Delta Platoon are going to be needing help. She then typed in the command to let her hear the latest news before bringing her gaze up, her silver eyes lying onto three photographs.

One of them was a picture that was taken back when she was a first year at Beacon Academy, with a young her wearing the forgotten white cloak over her black combat dress. She stood beside the young Taiyang Xiao long by the tree as her other teammates, the man that became uncle Qrow to her daughter and the woman that became her closest friend, even going so far as to share secrets between one another, Raven Branwen. She sighed at the memories of that day, knowing that it was before she found her VF-25 _Messiah_ back when its variant was a VF-25F. Looking at the machine now, she had customized it to the point that it became her own variant, the VF-25SR.

Her eyes then lay onto the next picture beside the team photo, seeing the same blonde man with a toddler Yang beside her holding onto the bundle that was Ruby. She remembered that day, smiling when her little rosebud was born into the world, not knowing that she had birthed a natural Valkyrie pilot. She then thought about the day she left, when she lied to him saying she had a Beowolf extermination mission when it was actually a reminder to go to the _Frontier Colonization Fleet_. She had to tell Raven about her mission, knowing that it would be before the Vajra would commence their attack. She hoped that the sister of the Branwens didn't tell Qrow about it, but then thought about how he'll never believe it.

Laying her eyes on the third photo, she began to smile in sadness of that day. In it was her standing beside a group of people in front of the VF-25 _Messiah_ s in Gerwalk Mode, with a red Queadluun Rhea standing tall behind them. It was a picture made to celebrate the end of the Vajra War, when it was the last picture she had taken with the S.M.S. Skull Squadron pilots. She smiled fondly as her eyes lay on the form of Ranka, who sang out with Sheryl Nome to help ease the Vajra in the past.

Finished with reliving the past, she looked down at the console right beside her, looking at the picture of Ruby in the Chaos databanks. She smiled when her silver gaze read the promotion given to her by Chaos, knowing that she is growing not just as a pilot, but as a person as well. She then closed her eyes as the carrier entered the fold gate, making her way over to the water world to assist in the war against Windermere.

"Hang on, my little rose," she muttered out to herself. "Cavalry is on its way."

* * *

Hovering near the Protoculture ruins on the surface of Al Shahal, the Windermerean fleet surrounding the _Sigur Valens_ have already laid waste on any N.U.N.S. forces that resisted. The soldiers that remained from the human army had already gone into hiding, keeping their VF-171 _Nightmares_ hidden from the armada. They already know that they wouldn't last against the might of the Aerial Knights, and to go up against the fleet would already be deemed suicide.

Sitting in the helm of the _Sigur Valens_ , Gramia watched in satisfaction as the Windermerean forces set up a perimeter around the ruins for observations. Looking at the standing form of Gale, his runes faintly lit a blue hue before returning to their dormant red state. He motioned her to walk forward, noticing that she had done so only to stop by his side.

"Look at it, my friend," he spoke up to her, taking in the marvel of the Windermerean fleet. "We have done so much to secure much of the Starwind Sector. Right now, all that remains for us to liberate is the world of Ragna, where the Earthlings muster the last of their defenses against us." His rune once again glowed in sync with hers, knowing that a familiar wind has appeared behind them. "Heinz?"

"Your Majesty," the Wind Singer's young voice called out to him before bowing to Gale. "Lady Gale." He saw her bow in return before speaking to the aged Windermerean. "When will we advance into Ragna? I can sing any time."

"Rest now. That is part of your duty as well." He can already tell the boy was smiling before giving away his. "You have done well, Heinz."

It only took him a minute to express his gratitude to the king before looking serious. "Thank you."

As Heinz left the king and the replacement White Knight, making his way over to his own chambers of the _Sigur Valens_ , the White Knight himself was over at the sound system, overlooking the technology in front of him. He was most thankful to the Wind Singer that they were able to conquer Al Shahal in fifteen minutes, not giving the N.U.N.S. forces enough time to fight back. He was eventually joined by the representative of the Epsilon Foundation, speaking of the sound system as he watched the machine.

"During the attack on Al Shahal, we were able to further analyze an additional 10% of the ships systems," Berger informed him, smiling over his achievements.

"The Protoculture…" Keith only muttered out before hearing footsteps, frowning as Berger looked back to see Lloyd.

"Ahh, Lord Lloyd."

"Any problems with the shrine," the chancellor asked them, seeing the representative raise his hands with a smile.

"None whatsoever, despite all the attacks targeted at us."

"What are you doing here," Keith asked out of irritation, keeping his back on the man. "You have no authority anymore. Stay put and watch over His Majesty and Prince Heinz."

The chancellor could only frown over what the White Knight had said to him before turning his back, motioning the blonde male to follow him outside. The worries for both Gramia and Heinz' health grew stronger as he walked out of the shrine, leaving Berger behind to make additional adjustments. His only desire is to make Keith understand that there was no need for further bloodshed between Windermere and the N.U.N.S. military, reminding him of the time that they have left on their lifespans.

Making their way through the Protoculture warship that is the _Sigur Valens_ , the two Windermereans eventually reached the outside, taking in the winds of Al Shahal. The city, while still populated with humans, lie far from them as the cruiser hovered over the Protoculture ruins, guarded by the Windermerean fleet surrounding them. The White Knight stopped his own movements as the chancellor walked to the edge, already knowing what he has to say.

"Prince Heinz cannot overexert himself anymore," he pointed out, turning to face Keith. "Our lives are short, but we can't have his rune run out. As long as we have the ruins and this ship, we have a valid claim to being the heirs of the Protoculture. We can negotiate with the N.U.N.S. on equal terms—"

"They don't give a damn about the Protoculture," Keith bluntly stated, making Lloyd grit his teeth.

"What about after the war is over? There is so much we need to do. You and I both. We've got no time."

"That is precisely why I'll fight until the very end." The blonde then looked up to the sky, the wind making his hair flow forward. "Even if I have to eradicate all Earthlings in the cluster by myself. I'll never forgive those who have tainted the wind." He then gave a harsh glare to the chancellor. "I thought you'd fight until your last breath as well."

With that being said, the White Knight left Lloyd outside as he re-entered the _Sigur Valens_ , causing the man to sigh out before speaking out one more sentence. "Dying isn't the issue here, but a new wind has yet to blow through the galaxy."

* * *

The evening twilight has arrived for the planet Ragna, and while the city would normally do it's celebrations, instead, the civilians are moving all of their belongings to the designated shelters or to the Island ship laying in the waters. News of Al Shahal's takeover by the forces of Windermere had the people worried, and in light of the situation, the forces of Chaos had asked them all to evacuate immediately. In doing so, civilian casualties would lessen and the pilots could focus more on fighting the Aerial Knights.

In the bridge of the Macross _Elysion_ , the operators Nina, Beth and Mizuki worked tirelessly to coordinate the evacuation efforts as Ruby, Arad and Kaname stood beside the Zentradi caption. Ernest had stated that he needed the sound unit leader and the commander of the Delta Platoon, but thinking ahead, had requested the Second Lt.'s presence as well. He had brought up the holographic displays of the _Sigur Valens,_ thinking of how to handle the situation presented to him.

"Captain," he heard Beth call out to him. "Preparing the shelters will take time."

"Do it as fast as you can manage," he ordered her, making sure she doesn't put more pressure on herself.

"Are you evacuating the civilians," Kaname asked him as the operator acknowledge the order.

"Expect the best, plan for the worst."

"In other words, always prepare for any sort of outcome," Ruby summarized, nodding with Ernest.

"So how old is King Gramia," Arad asked out in curiosity, getting a visual of the old Windermerean king.

"He's over 35 now," Ernest spoke up, surprising the young reaper with the news. "He's lived long for a Windermerean.

"Impressive," the young girl whispered out as Arad called the Windermerean a 'tenacious bastard.'

"Have you met him before," Kaname asked out to them.

"You don't get to meet these kinds of people when you're just an N.U.N.S. pilot," Arad explained out to her, followed by Ernest.

"He was a student of mine," Ernest spoke up, crossing his arms. "At the time, I had been hired by Windermere to train them in fleet command." Memories of his time on Windermere popped in his head as he continued. "He was a horrible student, always going on about chivalry. Fair and square, one-on-one. But he'll stop at nothing when it comes to defending his country and pride. That's what makes him a fearsome man."

"You seem to respect him in that regard, captain," Ruby commented on his past.

"So what happened to you during their war of independence," Kaname asked out again.

"They wouldn't let an outsider get involved in their fight," He answered her, pulling down his cap while smiling. "So before the war began, I was dismissed."

She then looked shocked as Arad spoke up to them. "We fought. Orders are orders."

She then looked down in shock as the revelation of Arad and Ernest's past with Windermere was revealed, not knowing that they had served as an N.U.N.S. pilot and mercenary respectively. She had her shoulder touched by the young Ruby, mentally telling her that the past isn't important, but what will happen in the future did. An alarm blared to life from Mizuki's console, making her report to Ernest.

"Captain, an N.U.N.S. ferry is asking for permission to land."

"N.U.N.S.," Ernest was shocked when he questioned her, nodding to her to give it permission to board before leaving the bridge with Kaname and the Delta pilots, making their way over to the meeting room to speak with an N.U.N.S. representative. Both Arad and Ruby are hoping that it's an approval for reinforcements, thinking that it would help even the fight against Windermere. While in their thoughts, they entered the room spotting an N.U.N.S. officer waiting patiently. Already, the young reaper is getting bad vibes coming from the man.

"N.U.N.S. staff section two," the man started, saluting to the Zentradi. "Major Laurie Maran."

"Chaos Ragna division, Captain of the _Elysion_ , Ernest Johnson," the captain replied, giving him a salute along with Arad and Ruby before settling down.

"Well, you're even bigger than the stories sa—"

The Zentradi immediately interrupted him. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Sitting down, the now identified major brought up a holographic display before speaking up again. "I'm delivering you a message from N.U.N.S. Central Command. The Protoculture ruins on planet Ragna, _Argol Petra_ , are to be destroyed."

"WHAT," Ruby shouted out in shock, ignored by Laurie.

"Windermere is trying to use the ruins to gain control of the cluster. Destroying the ruins should render their objective impossible."

"So you send orders instead of reinforcements," Arad asked out in irritation, only to be met with the major's smirk.

"Did you say something?"

"Nothing, sir."

"Energy shafts extend into the planet's core from the ruins," Kaname informed the N.U.N.S representative. "Destroying them might cause severe changes in the planet's crust."

"We'll use a directed tactical reaction warhead. Collateral damage within the atmosphere should be minimal." Maran then placed his datapad on his lap as his arms crossed, continuing his thoughts. "Al Shahal fell in fifteen minutes, and I'm certain that Ragna won't last more than thirty either." He then opened his eyes to meet Kaname's. "Or… do you have any better solutions?"

"I still cannot approve of that," Ernest spoke up in irritation, looking at the man in front of him. "I'm sure Lady M. is of the same mind."

"I came to inform you so she could save face," the N.U.N.S officer spoke again before standing up. "We don't need your permission. Our special forces have already dispatched, so you shouldn't worry." He then took notice of the rose emblem on Ruby's right shoulder, eyes narrowing. "You, turn that shoulder over to me."

"Huh," Ruby questioned, only to nod and do what she was told, showing him the rose emblem etched onto her jacket. She was wondering why the N.U.N.S. major wanted her to do such a task, thinking that she may have earned a reputation in the human armies. Looking at him, she can already tell that his face was steeled before he glanced over to Ernest.

"Seeing as I'm still here," he spoke up. "I'll be taking that girl into N.U.N.S. custody."

"What did you say," Arad asked out, shocked as to what the major said.

"You heard me." He then showed them another piece of information. "Along with orders to destroy the Protoculture ruins, Central N.U.N.S. has given out another priority order: The capture of the White Rose."

"Why would you—" Kaname spoke out, only to be interrupted by Maran.

"You have heard of the White Rose, correct? While it is true that she has assisted us during the Vajra war, going so far as to taking on the Vajra homeworld, the fact remains that she has been destroying N.U.N.S. property and killing our pilots." He then walked towards Ruby. "Even if the N.U.N.S. forces that survived the Var outbreaks are thankful towards her, Central Command dictated that she is too dangerous a threat to leave unchecked, second to the Windermereans. And to think that I would find the pilot right in front of me."

"Hold it," Ernest commanded, getting his attention. "What sort of proof do you have that suggests that the Second Lt. here is the White Rose?"

"Only reports of the pilots that survived, of course." He then looked at Ruby. "Tell me the truth. Where were you when Windermere announced their declaration of war along with the capture of Voldor?"

"Major, you're going too far," Kaname warned him, only to be silenced by his hand.

"Were you at Randor… or were you the pilot that annihilated Captain Mathis' reconnaissance forces, leaving only him and two others as the survivors?"

He had thought that he had gotten his answer, only to be proven wrong when Ruby spoke up. "Randor, Major Maran." Her silver eyes steeled themselves. "I was at Randor with the Delta Platoon, providing safety to Walkure and the civilians."

"You have your answer, Maran," Arad spoke up, more irritated than ever as Ernest gave an order.

"Major, you should leave now while you can." His eyes met with the Major's. "Even if we encounter the White Rose, we won't be handing her over to N.U.N.S. unless we hear her side of the story. If the N.U.N.S. forces she fought were in fact Var controlled by Windermere, then we'll make sure to protect the pilot from you, regardless of orders. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal," he replied back, backing off from Ruby before gathering his items. "I'll be keeping my eye out, however."

With that being said, the representative of the N.U.N.S. left the group without a second thought, escorted away by his own guards. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief as they looked at the young Ruby, worried now that the N.U.N.S. declared the White Rose as a target and suspecting the girl as the pilot. They all know the truth that Ruby was with Walkure and Delta back on Randor, even having the combat footage of her going against the Aerial Knights back when they were unknowns.

"Ruby, go and give yourself a break," Ernest broke the ice of silence, looking solemnly at her. "This may be a lot to take in, but we all know you're not the White Rose."

"Thank you, captain," was all she said before making her leave, leaving behind the Captain and Arad as Kaname followed her. Both the human and the Zentradi already know the identity of the White Rose when they spoke during the jellyfish festival, but decided they won't tell her until the time was right. They only hope that they'll reveal it after the war against Windermere is over.

As the two men now pondered over the situation, Ruby had been aimlessly wondering through the halls of the warship, looking over her data pad once more to figure out how to implement Weiss' rapier into the VF-31 properly. She had once thought about borrowing a page from the White Knight's book and have the weapon come out of the Battroid's leg, only for the virtual program to come up as an error. She realized that if she were to do that, then Weiss' _Siegfried_ would end up losing a thruster, further frustrating the young girl already.

Walking outside, the young girl was greeted with the sight of Barrette City, knowing that the evacuation was underway in case Windermere arrives. Like the others, she's upset that the N.U.N.S. Central Command had ordered for the Protoculture ruins to be destroyed, but she's even more upset that they firmly think she was the White Rose. She then thought about how Yang would react to the news, only to giggle out when picturing the blonde going after and beating down Maran.

"Can you keep it down," she heard as she turned to face Mirage, taking notice of her own datapad. "I'm trying to think."

"Sorry, Mira—" the young girl spoke up before stopping herself, saluting briefly before calming down. "I mean, First Lt. Just picturing something hilarious."

"Hilarious?"

"Yup." She then started to walk over to Jenius pilot, sitting down beside her. "I needed to get some thoughts out of my head, and one happened to make me laugh."

"OK…" Mirage then followed the girl's example and sat down on the metal surface. "Working on something?"

"Yeah, but it's proving to be difficult."

"How difficult," she asked the young girl, hearing her sigh out.

"Mirage… you know that from each encounter with the Aerial Knights, there is something uniquely different about my team's _Siegfried_ s?"

"You mean like that Valkyrie sized scythe that is attached to yours? The blade wings on Blake's? The extra armor around Yang's Battroid arms?"

"Yup, those are the ones." The girl then showed Mirage her datapad. "Before our operation on Al Shahal… the one where we met Hayate and Freyja… I had a talk with Makina about implementing our weapons onto the VF-31s, even showing her my Crescent Rose." She then left out a sigh before continuing. "So far, we were able to get mine, Yang's and Blake's weapons implemented, but now I'm having trouble with Weiss'. I tried going over the many different scenarios, looking into different ways, but… they all came up failures."

"Have you talked with Makina about that," Mirage asked Ruby, seeing her pull out her phone.

"I have, and even she's having troubles on her end." Ruby then received her datapad back, looking up to the skies. "I think that hers may be a lost cause."

"Or perhaps you need another input." Mirage then got to thinking. "When I met her back on your home planet, at your Kingdom of Mistral, her weapon of choice was a rapier, right?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Well…" She then took the datapad back out of Ruby's hands before typing in a few commands. "What if… what if you add in a small detail into her _Siegfried_ 's gun pods, like say… maybe attachable blades onto the bottom of the rifles?" Bringing up the display of Weiss' VF-31, she added in her thoughts onto the console, bringing up an additional rapier blade add on to the gun pods before playing the simulation, seeing the result being the blades flipping onto the barrel of the weapons as they detached from the arms, making them wieldable. "See?"

"Wha… How come I couldn't think of that?"

"Like I said, you need another pilot's input." She then gave it back before going on her own datapad. "Now, I need to get back to my own thoughts."

"White Knight," Ruby simply asked her, getting a nod.

"Correct. Now, how should we fight Him?"

Their thoughts were gone as they heard humming from behind, making them look out to see Freyja walking out with a full plastic bag in her hands. Judging from the way it looked, they figured that she was having something to eat while on the _Elysion_ instead of going towards Ragnyannyan. It was understandable to them, considering the restaurant was going to evacuate towards the Island ship stationed in the waters.

"Freyja," they heard Hayate's voice as he came out as well, prompting the First Lt. to push Ruby down as the young man ran towards the Windermerean.

"Ah, Hayate," Freyja greeted her fellow partner as he stopped in front of her. "Came to eat here too?"

"Well, you can't fight on an empty stomach." He brought out a bento box to make his point before speaking again. "So what are you having?" He got his answer as the girl laughed, shocking him with the contents of the plastic bag. "The all apple diet?"

"It's okay. They're Ragnan sea apples. It's a bit salty, but still delicious."

"Mirage, why are you hiding," Ruby whispered out to the pilot as Hayate and Freyja sat down on the surface.

"Who would've thought I'd end up fighting alongside the same stowaway I found back on Al Shahal," Hayate asked out in wonder.

"True that," Freyja wondered out as she giggled before taking notice of something, pointing at his necklace. "By the way, what's that thing you're always wearing?"

"Oh this?" He then touched the crystal on his necklace, smiling. "A memento… from my dad."

"From your dad?"

"Yeah, he sent it from some planet when I was little."

"Which one?"

"Dunno. He was a soldier, going wherever duty called him." He then let go of the necklace before leaning back, speaking again. "Anyways, you actually became a member of Walkure."

"And now my song might even reach Windermere," she said with a smile before continuing. "Every now and then, singing is so much fun, even during battles." She then stumbled as Hayate wondered, making her wave her hands around to ease the confusion. "NO, I mean… I know it's bad, but the song wells up in me and I can't help but enjoy it. If I could make people feel what I feel, maybe they'd never want to fight again."

The young man smiled as he understood what she meant, speaking up to her with a fond smile. "Flying to your songs is a lot of fun, too." She looked to him in wonder as he continued. "Even in the middle of a dogfight, it feels like I've suddenly grown a pair of wings, and I could fly as far as I wanted. It's vexing to admit, but I love your songs." He then looked at her with a determined smile as she went wide eyed in awe. "So don't hold back. Sing with all you've got. I'm out there to protect you."

Ruby could only smile to Hayate's declaration before she heard a beeping sound coming from Mirage's phone, deadpanning at her as the sound attracted both the young man and Windermerean. She shook her head as she played around with the device, hitting play to hear a message from the bridge operator. The First Lt. only cursed out loud, freezing as she was heard by the Walkure singer and the Delta 05 pilot.

"Mirage," Freyja called out to her, stunning the new Delta 02.

"And Ruby, too," Hayate asked out, taking notice of the young reaper. "What are you two doing here?"

"N-Nothing really," Mirage could only stutter out as she stood up and about to leave.

"Hold on, Delta 02." His words made her stop. "Just because you're now second-in-command, doesn't mean you always have to be so serious." She turned around to face him, shocked as he pointed to her datapad. "I'm talking about that."

She was stunned before turning away, looking down. "I'm in charge now. I have to be prepared."

"You've got me." He made her look at him with wide eyes before speaking again. "You've got Chuck, the commander, even Ruby and her team. We're here with you, so just fly like you always do." When she didn't respond back, he grew concerned. "What's wrong?"

"I'm not talented like you," she muttered out under her breath. "I've known that all along. That's why I've been working twice as hard. Then First Lt. Messer would tell me off for flying by the book. But I can't just give up, and I can't let it end here." She then steeled her looked before looking at him directly. "Hayate Immelmann! I lost to you during your final exam, but I'll be sure to pay you back someday. So let's come back alive from this."

He could only smile as he spoke back at her. "Yeah. I'll wait for your challenge, First Lt."

She could only smile at his declaration before going serious, giving a passing glance over to Freyja before walking away, leaving Ruby behind with the others. The young reaper could only faintly laugh as she scratched her head, not sure what to say to both Hayate and Freyja. She could only sigh as she looked at them, giving them a smile before turning around.

"Well, I better be off to find Makina," she told them, backing up a bit. "See you two later."

With that said, she immediately ran off to follow Mirage, making both the young pilot and Windermerean look at one another with curiosity. Far from them, the young girl slowed down to a passive walk, looking over the change on the Project: 'White' display before saving it, taking it into consideration. She thought that if it were to make it work, the gun pods would have to detach from the arm after the blade attached in the barrels. Putting it away, she made her way over to her dorm room in Barrette, thinking she'll need as much sleep before the operation.

* * *

The break of morning eventually came to the surface of Ragna, and alarms were blaring around the surface of the Macross _Elysion_. Everyone on board the Macross were already prepping the fortress as the intercoms warned of an upcoming launch from the surface, depicting the fortress' participation in battle. In the _Aether_ hanger bays, the pilots of the Delta Platoon were going over their own preparations for another battle with Windermere, with every one of making final adjustments.

Over on the bridge, the operators were typing away on their consoles, going over the final preparations to launch the _Elysion_. As they announced their procedures towards the captain, the gravity control systems activated as the mooring systems unlocked from the feet of the fortress, freeing it from the restrains as the launching bay was cleared off. Once they informed Ernest that everything was good to go, the thrusters underneath the _Elysion_ 's feet began to slowly burn to life, lifting it off the ground before it made its way to the waters.

"This is the captain of the Macross _Elysion_ and commander in chief of Chaos, Brisingr Globular Cluster Combined Forces, Ernest Johnson," the captain announced as the fortress hovered over the city. "Operation: EINHERJAR begins now. Let's show them some real yak deculture." As the giant robot stopped above the waters, the Zentradi gave out his order. "Macross _Elysion_ … Full speed ahead."

With the order given, the thrusters in the feet fully blasted away, creating a large surround of smoke as the base lifted higher into the sky. The civilians that have been evacuating since the previous evening stopped and watch in awe as the symbol of Ragna, Chaos' pride and joy, flew upwards into the skies. Everyone cheered on as the Macross ascended into orbit, believing that they'll end the fight against Windermere.

"Commencing transformation," one of the operators announced as the _Elysion_ changed from its Battroid into that of a large warship. "Main engine blocks switching to outer space cruising mode. _Aether_ and _Hemera_ tails locked to main hull."

Everyone was feeling the vibrations coming from the Macross as it kept up its ascent, from the Delta Platoon strapped in their _Siegfried_ fighters to Walkure sitting in their prep room. The vibrations eventually subsided as the warship exited the atmosphere, flying in space until it was out in orbit. The fold drives in the ship got to 100% as the _Elysion_ flew farther from the water world, activating a fold gate in front of it before going through, making their way over to Al Shahal.

Meanwhile, in his personal chambers of the _Sigur Valens_ , Gramia opened his eyes on instinct as his rune glowed briefly, telling him that something was coming. Along with him, the runes in Gale's hair faintly lit up as she looked over her own SV-262Hs, stopping as her weapons check was complete. Leaning up from his bed, the Windermerean King as a feeling came over him, realizing that something is going to happen.

"A storm is coming," he muttered to himself before shouting out in a commanding voice. "Spread our wings."

* * *

 **A/N: Looks like things are going to get interesting. The** _ **Elysion**_ **is now making its appearance in the war, and a fighter from the Vajra war is making her return.**

 **For this chapter, I had noticed that both episodes 12 and 13 had shortened dialogues from the episode before them. Instead of doing the same thing, I decided that I would take the extended dialogues from the previous episodes and implement them into the beginning of the next chapter. Also, I have thrown in a few hints that may allude to the White Rose's past judging from the three pictures she has in her possession. By doing that, I am, in a way, establishing a possible prequel featuring the pilot and her own struggles. I have also introduced Laurie Maran, who would play a role in the White Rose's new predicament. I never really liked this particular character and even though he was following orders, he still came off to me as more of a douche than anything else.**

 **Review Replies:**

 **Alexwu704:** _ **Soon Ruby Rose will reveal her true skills or Yang**_

 _ **Or Hayate because he shot Keith down in episode 13**_

 _ **Hope the three of them work together or taking him on one at a time.**_

 **Who knows. We're going to have to wait and see in the next chapter.**

 **Tendaysromeo:** _ **So awesome… both chapters… are F****** awesome! This is F****** plot that is F****** done right! Sad that both Blake and Messer are gone but it's good, their deaths from what I believe is important to everyone's development.**_

 **Wow… Well, you're right on one thing, their deaths would further develop the characters further in the line. And Although I had this set after Volume 3, I did not have Ruby use that crazy eye power thing when they died. To me, that power just seemed too overpowering. So, I opted to get rid of it.**

 **Marcus the Kane:** _ **Bzzzttt…**_

 _ **It was a sad, yet heartwarming chapter. And I'm digging both Yang and Weiss' new look. RT should have done that.**_

 _ **Bzzzttt…**_

 **Well, I had the idea of Yang cutting her hair down to shoulder length for a while, and I just kept picturing Weiss having the same hairstyle as Sheena from Tales of Symphonia. Although I tried to describe it, I did point out in the last A/N to refer to the character I have mentioned from the Tales franchise.**

 **XY Kid:** _ **I think this chapter is a fitting follow up after the shocking end from the previous chapter. It's sad, but it made me smile when they did the tradition thing. Keep it up.**_

 **Why thank you, buddy. I'll be sure to do my best.**

 **Bond56:** _ **The sails have been set and the seeds planted, the S.S. RubyxMakina is ready to set sail.**_

 **Did I just gain the attention of another shipper? Oh boy…**

 **Duel:** _ **Well, great chapter, as usual. AND you handled the private farewell pretty nicely, too!**_

 _ **Although, even if you ARE going for original content for Arc 3, just remember that Keith is still a pretty key piece in Delta's plot.**_

 _ **As to the fold disturbance thing: just be glad that i'm one of the few more lenient Macross fans out there. Because many would quickly start bashing you with the fact that fold faults usually throw things FORWARD in time, not BACK (the flight from Frontier to Galia 4 was "1 day in Fold Space 1 week in Real Space due to the large amounts of Fold faults). Fold faults DELAY, so it'd have to be a pretty COSMIC-LEVEL accident to throw something that far back in time.(which i personally think is what you were going for)**_

 _ **and in regards to Weiss' VF-31C: you DO realize that if you do go ahead with that idea, Weiss would be literally DOWN ONE ENGINE, right? the only reason that works with the Sv-262 is because the Draken IIIs uses a different engine layout (the engines are spaced slightly away from the forward plating, giving it a little more space to store a folded blade). So if you were to give Weiss a scaled upped version of her rapier, even if folded, you'd lose an turbine to it, and VF-series Valkyries all have dual engines that run the length the shin of the VF for stabilization(that's from the design of the VF-31J Siegfried, and i actually built and own the 1/72 kit of it from Bandai), so your idea for it is like hoping a F-15E or a F-22A can fly straight with no problems with only one engine on an asymmetrical arrangement.**_  
 _ **My suggestion for "Project: White"? convert the Multi-Purpose pack into a rack/missile pod combo, that way, it fits Weiss' fighting style, and the extra missiles can be used by her as support/cover in her attacks.**_

 **...Anyway, sorry for the long rant (again), but I do hope I can see the next stage of this story's progression soon.**

 **Thank you for that. I'm already aware that Keith is a major piece for the majority. Arc 3 is going to not feature him until Arc 4 starts, when he makes his return.**

 **I'm already aware that I'm going to get bashed for the facts, but I'm still going to press forward with it. I have the 'accident' all ready to be presented for Arc 3 when Chaos goes to investigate the cruiser in Mistral. If I'm going to get bashed, well, they should know better to understand why instead of going onto a huge ass rant. And if they don't, well… I won't tolerate extreme hate.**

 **Now that you brought up the thrusters, I had to do a huge rethink. Your thoughts on it were shown in the chapter when Ruby was going through the Project: 'White' simulations, with my suggestion coming up in a failure. I'm already going back to the drawing board to make it come out properly.**

 **And I wouldn't call your review a 'long rant' but a long, more informed critique on how I'm handling things. No need to worry about that.**

 **Wee-0wee-0:** _ **I'm still lost for words… I'm currently BROKEN right now… those Windermereans (except for Freyja) must be DELETE, DELETE, DELETE! Ahahahahaha…**_

 **What the… Did I seriously break you, pal? What the hell have I done? And Really, a Doctor Who reference? I've already done the Gintama thing with Tendaysromeo with the S-S-SHOGUN KAYO reference.**

 **Yuiharime:** _ **I love the new chapter. It's sad but very satisfying. Well… since Blake is gone, sadly… I think we can have Yang with Chuck.**_

 **Already? Well, I wouldn't stop you from picturing it, but let me bring you to reality. The ship may work out if it was more of a friend and/or coworker relationship, but for romantic… Need I remind you that Yang is 17/18 while Chuck is about… 24? There is a big age gap between them. Though, most people do say that 'Love has no age limit,' and I shouldn't argue about that UNLESS there is a huge age gap. Regardless, Yang and Chuck are going to have that friend and coworker relationship with the Ragnan.**

 **I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. What do you think? Leave a Favorite, Follow and Review.**

 **With that out of the way, I'm BlazefireDrago, signing out.**


	17. Passionate Diving

**Disclaimer: RWBY is owned by Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth Productions, while Macross is owned by Shoji Kawamori and Studio Satelight.**

* * *

As the Macross _Elysion_ travelled through the tunnel of Fold Space while heading towards Al Shahal, the fighter squadrons of Chaos were getting ready to launch. The Delta Platoon, now comprising of seven VF-31 _Siegfrieds_ were the first to load up on the launching bay, with Ruby's division arming their additional weapons. Glancing over to her side, Ruby looked over to take a glance at Weiss' Valkyrie, going wide eyed at the sight of a new addition unknown to her.

On top of the _Siegfried_ 's back was a Valkyrie sized rapier clamped onto it, and looking into it revealed a built in Pin Point Barrier system inside it. The young reaper wondered when this was possible, unknowing that Weiss had learned of Project: 'White's' constant failures in the simulations. Already speaking with the mechanics her own input beforehand, she requested that the teams add in a Pin Point Barrier rapier on the back of the Valkyrie, leading it to where it is now. They all looked to the front as they heard Ernest on the comms.

"Once we defold, Walkure will start an assault concert towards the enemy," He said to them as Walkure gathered around.

"For the Galaxy…" Makina started, followed by her fellow singers.

"For someone out there…"

"We will…"

"Go all out…"

"And enjoy ourselves."

"The Delta Platoon will provide cover for Walkure," The Zentradi spoke again as he relayed the orders. "All other units are to launch a focused attack on the giant enemy warship. I'm counting on you to kick some ass."

"De-fold in twenty seconds," Nina announced on her console. "Nineteen… Eighteen… Seventeen…" Alarms suddenly blared to life as she went wide eyed. "No way… Captain, we're reading a massive body at our destination. Approaching rapidly."

"A massive body…" He then went wide eyed, realizing what was happening. "No… are they planning to…?"

His answer arrived to him as the _Elysion_ exited the Fold Space into Al Shahal's orbit, shocked to see the _Sigur Valens_ moving passed them. Just the sheer size of the Protoculture warship was enough to scare both Beth and Mizuki in the bridge while the Delta Platoon, all prepped and ready, sat in shock as the Windermerean fleet moved besides it. Once the fleet was farther from the Macross, another set of alarms blared to life, causing Nina to announce her findings.

"The enemy fleet is executing a fold," She informed the captain as a fold gate opened in front of the _Sigur Valens_ , leaving the Zentradi to smirk.

"Hmph, good one, Gramia," He muttered out in surprise.

"So, shall we begin, Ernest," Gramia spoke up in the control room of the Windermerean flagship as it began to enter the gate.

"All turrets, open fire towards the enemy ships immetiately," the Zentradi ordered out, seeing the guns on the ship take aim towards the fleeing fleet. "NOW!"

The turrets opened fire on the Windermerean fleet as the fold gate began to close, reaching and impacting the _Sigur Valens_ as the Windermereans began to approach the water world of Ragna. The resulting damage was impacted in the sound system on the Protoculture warship, temporarily disabling its primary weapon. The fold gate created from Windermere eventually closed behind the Macross _Elysion_ , leaving behind a dumbfounded Delta Platoon.

"How did they…" Weiss muttered in shock.

"They predicted out move," Arad asked out, shocking the others.

"Then that means…" Yang started out, wide eyed that their second home is now in danger.

"They're headed for Ragna," Hayate finished for her, looking back at where they left.

"Dammit," Ruby cursed out, shocking her sister for the first time with her choice of words. "We have to get back"

"Calm down, Second Lieutenant," she calmed down when she looked at Arad's face on the screen. "I know what the captain's thinking. Just sit tight and wait for further orders."

"Sir," was all she could say before looking back, growing worried at Ragna's safety. Meanwhile, the Windermerean war fleet de-folded near the water world's orbit, where a joint fleet of both Chaos and N.U.N.S. forces waited in anticipation for their attack. Already, the human armies are scrambling to launch in their respective Valkyries, from the _Kairos_ models for the civilian contractors and the VF-171 _Nightmares_ of the military. The commanding officers of the bridged asked out in shock as to the whereabouts of the Macross while the Windermerean forces began launching their SV-262 Drakens, along with the White Knight's forces.

"May our wind blow on the battlefield," Keith muttered with a smile as his fighter launched out into space, seeing the N.U.N.S. deploy their Valkyries before engaging. Flying closer, he has made out a squadron of _Nightmares_ coming towards him, opening fire on him while forcing him to easily dodge the bullet fire. Taking sight on the human machines, he launched his two drones off of the Draken, commanding them to fire back on the VF-171s. His rune glowed as he took notice of more fighting N.U.N.S. fighter planes taking on the Aerial Knights, placing his gaze on the cruisers endlessly trying to pierce through the barrier around the _Sigur Valens_.

"Defense fleet to Macross _Elysion_ ," one of the Chaos commanding officers called out to Ernest at Al Shahal. "We have yet to hear the song of the wind yet."

"Hmm," The Zentradi hummed out before smiling, speaking up. "I see… so our shot was right on the money." He then looked at the screen to give an order to the CO. "The _Elysion_ can't fold again for another forty minutes. Until we can arrive, deploy all units." The soldier acknowledged the order given to him by the captain before shutting off the comms, allowing the bridge operators to begin working as he sat in thought, smiling. "That old loser… You've gotten better, Gramia."

Back at Ragna's orbit, the garrison fleet that comprised of both Chaos and N.U.N.S. forces continued their endless assault of preventing Windermere's advances, knowing that it was time to strike as one unit thanks to the lack of the Song of the Wind. Due to the Aerial Knights guarding the Windermerean fleet along with the barrier surrounding the _Sigur Valens_ , the Windermereans worked tirelessly to repair the damage sustained during their fold jump. Despite the pressure presented to them, they worked tirelessly to fix what the Macross _Elysion_ had done to it.

"Hull damage report," Lloyd asked out to the operators.

"Milord, the sound wave system was damaged," one of them announced to the chancellor. "The fold navigation had energy priority, which was why the barrier was breached."

"Understood. Get on top of those repairs." Lloyd's communicator beeped to life, prompting him to grasp it and speak with Berger. "Can you reboot the amplifier systems?"

"Yes, but alas, it will take some time," the Epsilon representative reported to him. "Please bear with it."

He shut off his communications before speaking with a still Gramia. "Your Majesty, without amplification, utilizing the Song of the Wind is nigh impossible. Without the song, the ship cannot reach its full potential."

"Ernest…" Gramia muttered, smiling at his opponent's achievement. "A worthy opponent indeed."

As the Windermereans on board the _Sigur Valens_ worked endlessly to repair both sound and amplifier systems, the Aerial Knights fighting the joint fleet continued their own onslaught as the SV-262s opened fire on the human Valkyries. Despite the number of Valkyries put up against them, the Drakens continued to fire back, destroying the planes with their coordinated attacks. One of the Drakens piloted by Bogue opened fire on a fleeing VF-171 _Nightmare_ , ensuring the safety of the Protoculture warship.

"Hold until the Song of the Wind resounds again," He called out to his fellow Windermereans as the twins kept firing in Battroid mode.

"We must defend…" Theo started out as his brother finished for him.

"The _Sigur Valens._ " The violet haired Windermerean's rune glowed briefly, making him look back as fold gates appeared behind them. "De-fold signatures?"

Coming out of the fold gates revealed the fighter squadrons of Alpha, Beta and Gamma Platoons flying in their VF-31 _Kairos_ models, followed by the familiar sight of the VF-31 _Siegfrieds_ piloted by the Delta Platoon. One particular fighter caught the Justilla twins' attention as Weiss' Valkyrie flew out of her respective gateway, flying closer to Ruby's and Yang's. Shifting their own fighters into Gerwalk Mode, they waited for the opportunity to attack her as they kept their guard on the Windermerean Fleet while Chaos' finest joined in on the fight.

"Alpha, Beta and Gamma Platoons, focus your attacks on the enemy flagship," Arad commanded the _Kairos_ pilots, seeing them acknowledge as the fold drives detached before addressing Delta. "Delta Platoon, keep the White Knight's group busy."

" **Roger** ," the pilots acknowledged before breaking off into the battle, with Weiss and Yang already grouping together to fight against Windermere's forces. Already seeing the sight of the twins' SV-262s coming towards her, she began to maneuver her fighter out of the way as the two opposing machines opened fire on her. Keeping an eye on the opposing Windermerean fighters, she switched her Valkyrie over into Gerwalk Mode, firing back at the twins as they got closer to her.

Both Theo and Xao anticipated Weiss' reaction towards them, flying out of the way of her bullet barrage before launching their drones after her, programming them to take out her Siegfried. Gritting her teeth, the heiress focused her targeting systems on both the Drakens and the drones, keeping fire on them to push them back until she was ready to strike out on the twins. Seeing Theo's drones getting closer, she detached the add-on addition to her fighter before shifting into Battroid mode, grabbing it before piercing the drones' dead center.

The Windermereans were shocked to see their chosen foe wield what appeared to be a Pin Point Barrier Rapier, destroying one of the twin's drones before opening fire on them, forcing them away from their opponent. Weiss only smirked as she drove off the Justillas, placing her Project: 'White' back before shifting into Fighter Mode to rejoin her team. While she wished to take on the two SV-262s, the defence of Ragna against the Windermerean's capital ship was more important, especially with the N.U.N.S. forces under Maran's command hovering above the ocean waters.

"It seems your little operation has failed," the Major commented to Arad via comms as he held a smug look on his face. "As planned, we will detonate the reaction shaped charge. You are better off pulling out now."

"But all of the civilians haven't been evacuated yet—" Delta leader pointed out before being interrupted by Laurie.

"This is an N.U.N.S. operation, so you have no word on the matter."

With that being said, the Major cut off his communications with the Delta Platoon, leaving Arad angered as him and the fighter squadron flew down into the surface of the planet. Going through the atmosphere, the VF-31s heated up as the pilots noticed the _Sigur Valens_ getting closer to its objective, realizing that the joint fleet couldn't hold off the Windermerean's attack. Steeling themselves, the Valkyries completed the re-entry phase, making the area near Barrette City their destination.

"Let's end this before the reaction bomb goes off," Chuck muttered out urgently, getting close to the surface.

"Yeah," Mirage confirmed before their alarms blared to life, making the pilots look back to see the SV-262 piloted by Keith approaching them.

"The White Knight," Hayate muttered, remembering how he killed both Messer and Blake.

"Back for more, has he," Ruby muttered out as the Windermerean fighter got closer.

"I'll be the decoy and distract him," the First Lt. announced to the others. "Chuck, Hayate, formation Uranos. Ruby, get into position."

They all acknowledged the orders given from Mirage before breaking away from the White Knight, with the First Lt. taking Keith's attention as a volley of bullets came her way. Flying further closer to the ocean waters, the VF-31 piloted by the young Rose shifted over into Battroid Mode before grasping Project: 'Red' in sniper mode and aiming it at the White Knight. She gritted her teeth as the Draken kept firing on Delta 02, only to break away as Hayate and Chuck appeared behind him and opened fire on the machine.

Keeping herself focused, she kept her sights slightly ahead of the White Knight's flight path, licking her lips while waiting for the right time to open fire as her fellow pilots chased after the SV-262. However, the White Knight decided to launch the drones attached off of his machine, directing them to break the Delta Platoon's formation and separating them. She watched as the drones got behind both Delta 02 and 03's planes, firing on her partners fighters until Hayate came and destroyed them with his own bullet barrage. She then caught sight of the White Knight flying behind him, launching another attack on the young man and separating him from the others.

"OK, White Knight," she muttered out as her targeting locked on to the Draken. "This one's for Blake."

With that being said, Ruby began to open fire on the White Knight with the sniper, surprising the blonde Windermerean before forcing him to break off from his chase. Seeing who distracted him from his opponent, Keith took notice of the VF-31 with the sniper rifle aimed at him, smirking as his rune glowed before flowing towards Ruby's fighter. Realizing that his fellow pilot was in danger, Hayate flew behind the SV-262, firing back at it and making it fly away from Ruby's before spotting the Windermerean behind him, muttering out curses as the battle grew closer towards Barrette City.

Standing in attention in the bridge of the N.U.N.S. cruiser, the Major that stayed on Ragna smirked as the Windermerean forces got closer to the Protoculture ruins, waiting for the right time to detonate that reaction warhead. He knew that the sovereign nation would use the ancient structures in the cluster to gain control of the galaxy, and so he patiently waited as the enemy got closer to their trap. He has already made out the ongoing battle in near the Windermerean fleet, knowing full well that the N.U.N.S. Ragnan forces and the pilots of Chaos continued to fight the supposed impossible odds.

"Major, the battle will reach the city soon," one of his bridge operators reported as he saw the holographic projections. "The enemy flagship is approaching the underwater ruins. It is expected to reach them soon."

"They really are after the Protoculture's relics," he muttered to himself while keeping a smirk on his face. "They'll fall for our trap eventually." He then spoke out to the operators. "Order our forces to keep them busy."

As the battle continued to escalate further in the skies of Ragna, a fold gate appeared near the ocean world's orbit, revealing the detached _Aether_ moving in with Walkure performing **いけないボ一ダ一イン** as the carrier descended into the surface. Their soundwaves have already been detected by the Windermerean forces on board the _Sigur Valens_ , causing the king to mutter about their songs tainting the wind. As the _Aether_ got closer towards the battle occurring in the skies of Ragna, visuals of the war between Windermere and the joint Chaos/N.U.N.S forces flashed in front of the singers, reminding them of the danger occurring before them.

The Delta Platoon sighed in relief as the tactical sound unit arrived to assist in the battle, renewing their morale before focusing their attention on the Aerial Knights. Both Ruby and Hayate, smiling as the singers poured their souls on the song, kept up their assault on the White Knight, the pilot responsible for their fellow pilots' deaths as the young man continued to open fire on the Draken while providing Ruby enough time to shift back into Battroid. Just as she unclipped Project: 'Red' from the VF-31's back and reached out for it, Keith knew what she would do again, and flew in and opened fire on the addition, destroying it in front of the young girl's eyes.

Gritting her teeth, she shifted back into Fighter Mode before speeding off, setting her sights on the SV-262 near Hayate's and opened fire on it. Feeling his rune glow, he looked back and smirked as the Rose pilot attacked his plane, forcing him to maneuver his Draken away from the volley of bullets behind him while continuing fire on the _Siegfried_ in front of him. Getting an idea, the young reaper stalled backwards before shifting into Gerwalk Mode, launching a volley of missiles towards the Windermerean Ace. She didn't count on the White Knight to take notice already as the Draken revealed its cannon, firing back at the explosives and destroying them before they could reach the fighter, allowing the blonde Windermerean to keep his focus on the Delta 05 pilot while looking back at Ruby's.

"A noble effort, but a waste," Keith commented before gazing at Hayate's machine. "Is this it?"

As the three fighters continued the dogfight in Ragnan airspace, the Windermerean fleet surrounding the _Sigur Valens_ immediately stopped where the Protoculture Ruins would be underwater. Realizing that he has them right where he wanted them to be, Major Maran smirked as his eyes stayed glued to the visuals. While he was unable to find the White Rose Valkyrie, he could still take pleasure in robbing the Windermereans of their victory.

"Now," he commanded his bridge operators, ordering them to detonate the warhead the N.U.N.S. placed at the ruins as Gramia's rune glowed back in the _Sigur Valens_ control room.

"Focus all barrier energy to the bilge," the Windermerean King commanded, shocking Lloyd. "Prepare for impact."

"What," was all the chancellor could mutter out as his own rune glowed as the warhead started a chain reaction underwater, gaining the attention of both Chaos and the Aerial Knights. Keith, realizing the danger that was about to happen, pulled away from his battle with Ruby and Hayate, shocking them until a blinding light appeared underneath them. The light grew over a wide radius, only to be replaced with a large blast that deafened everything and forcing every fighter to fly away from the explosion.

Giving the order to retreat, Arad and most of the Delta Platoon flew a safer distance from the blast, looking down as a tidal wave formed in the waters, slamming everything in its path. All other fighters, from the SV-262 Drakens, the VF-171 _Nightmares_ and any _Kairos_ models closer to the blast were unfortunately destroyed as they were consumed by the explosion, leaving nothing behind. Looking back, Yang went wide eyed as her sister, along with Hayate, were dangerously close to the blast as they flew away.

"Ruby," she started out, choosing to fly closer until she was above her fighter, still a safe distance away from the explosion. "Fly faster, sis. Don't let this end you." The blast eventually dispersed, taking away Ruby's thrusters and significantly damaging the VF-31. "RUBY!"

Hearing her older sister on the comm despite the heavy alarms blaring her sound systems, the young reaper eventually activated the X-Gear system, only to get hit in the head as the system took hold on her body. The sudden shock knocked the young girl out as her body ejected out of the VF-31 _Siegfried_ as it exploded, shocking the blonde immensely and forcing her to dive down and catch her little sister. The debris of Ruby's Valkyrie hindered the fiery dragon's progress, forcing her to switch over into Gerwalk Mode to push the wreckage away.

"Dammit Ruby," Yang muttered out under her breath as her Valkyrie got closer. "We've already lost Blake… I'll be damned if I lose you too."

Her eyes immediately went wide as a fighter flew passed her, shifting over into Gerwalk Mode and gliding closer to Ruby's body. Recognizing both the fighter and the emblem as the White Rose's VF-25 _Messiah_ , the blonde watched as the Valkyrie gently took hold of her before flying off towards the _Aether_. Shaking her head, she flew upwards following the machine, followed by Mirage holding onto an unconscious Hayate.

As the White Rose landed onto the airborne carrier, the singers of Walkure were shocked to see the VF-25 up close to them. Shock eventually turned into worry as the Valkyrie lowered its hand to reveal an unconscious Ruby, scaring Makina as the fighter's cockpit opened to reveal the pilot. They watched the pilot jump out of the cockpit before running towards the young Reaper, picking her up slightly before shaking her to make her regain conscious. When Ruby didn't respond, the pilot then did the one thing that shocked Walkure and Mirage.

Taking off the helmet, the pilot is revealed to them as a young woman with the same, albeit longer, kind of hair, consisting of black with crimson red tips. However, they were immediately more surprised as her eyes opened, showing silver eyes before they were focused on the young girl. She tossed the helmet aside as Yang got out of her own Valkyrie, stopping as Ruby began to groan and stir, opening her eyes to see a blurry image of her savior.

"H-huh…" she started out slowly as her eyes slowly began to adjust. "Yang… You saved me… you saved me, sis…"

The pilot could only go slightly wide eyed before closing her eyes, reopening them and giving her a small small. "I'm not Yang. Not by a long shot… My little Rose."

When Ruby heard the voice, her eyes fully adjusted to see who saved her from her fall, going wide eyed at the sight. Looking behind her, she was granted with the sight of Yang sighing in relief before looking at the VF-25 _Messiah_ in Gerwalk Mode. Slowly realizing what happened, Ruby realized that her savior, the White Rose pilot who helped her before on Ragna and at Ionedeth… was her mother, Summer Rose.

"M—Mom," she stuttered out, still in shock over the revelation. "B-b-but how—" She then got flicked in the forehead before looking at the pilot, seeing her stern eyes bear through her soul.

"Do you honestly believe that I would just leave my daughters to fight alone," she asked the young reaper before hugging her. "Besides, what kind of mother would I be if I watched my own flesh and blood die right in front of me?"

"Mom…" was all that Ruby could mutter out before returning the hug, surprising the others present around them. Both Yang and Makina both smiled in relieve as the young Rose is still ok before gazing over to Mirage and Hayate, who had their own episode at the same time. However, when Hayate hugged Mirage, Freyja's mood suddenly shifted as she backed up a little, frowning as she was still in the dome. All the other singers could only smile at the new revelations between the pilots before looking out to the skies, facing a dark cloud of smoke created by the reaction warhead that scarred the ocean waters.

"We couldn't stop the reaction bomb," Reina commented with a depressed tone in her voice.

"But… the Windermerean fleet got…" Makina started as they looked at the skies, only to see the clouds beginning to part to reveal the damage done by the N.U.N.S.' warhead. Over where the Protoculture ruins should be underground, a large crater was formed over the aquatic surface, showing no trace of the ancient buildings. However, above the crater, Walkure was shocked to see the Windermerean fleet surrounding the _Sigur Valens_ undamaged, protected by the dimensional barrier until it dispersed while the Aerial Knights flew passed the fleet.

Watching the devastation left behind by the N.U.N.S.' warhead, the Windermerean leaders in the _Sigur Valens_ ' control room were met with varying emotions. Gale watched with passive aggression as the human pilots that remained survived their own blast. Gramia's face was stoic but held rage over how the humans would destroy the lands to achieve their goals. Lastly, Lloyd watched with shock and surprise as he held his communicator close to him, connected to Berger.

"The ruins absorbed the reaction bomb's energy and disappeared," the chancellor asked the Epsilon Foundation's representative.

"It would appear so," Berger answered him, causing Lloyd to look at the standing Gramia in front of him with concern.

"They would use weapons that taint their motherland without any hesitation," the King spoke out. "Earthlings indeed have no claim to the throne of the galaxy."

"FOLD SIGNALS ARE INCREASING BENEATH THE SHIP," one of the Windermereans announced, shocking Lloyd as a Fold gate suddenly appeared at the crater. As the gate rose up from the crater, a structure taking in the form of a spire took place on the surface, surprising both Windermerean and human forces. Taking a look at the readings, Kaname was shocked to learn that the waveform was being emitted from subspace, looking at the structure as it took on its complete shape. However, the same couldn't be said about Maran as he observed it on screen.

"So that is what the scientists were talking about," he muttered out to himself before addressing his operators. "We have all of the data we need. Pull out immediately."

"But sir," one of the soldiers spoke out. "What of the White Rose that appeared in the battle?"

"The White Rose is here?" He then pondered about the situation before coming to a conclusion. "Have one of our own infiltrate Chaos' ranks. His orders are to find and keep watch over her movements. Inform him to give us the best time for us to take her into custody."

"Roger."

Pulling out of the skies of Ragna, the N.U.N.S. fleet under the Major's command began to pull out and leave the planet's fate to Chaos and the Ragnan forces as the _Sigur Valens_ began to link up with the structure. Streams of data began to transfer from the recent addition over to the Windermerean flagship as it lowered closer to it, still hovering in the skies to show Windermere's determination. Both Gramia and Lloyd smiled as their objective of reaching the Protoculture ruins has succeeded.

"This ship really was the key to establishing the Starwind Sector," Lloyd commented on the situation, seeing the King nod in agreement as Heinz face appeared on screen to them.

"Your Majesty," the young prince started. "I will sing the Song of the Wind. I can feel a great power from the system."

"This is the heritage of the Protoculture," Gramia mentioned before addressing his son. "Sing Heinz! Sing in the name of the true king! Rudanjal Rom Mayan!"

"Rudanjal Rom Mayan!"

With that being said, the _Sigur Valens_ suddenly began to change forms as the Song of the Wind started, echoing across the skies of the ocean world and reaching the ears of many. The pilots and Walkure watched in shock as the Windermerean flagship transformed in front of them, commenting on how the ship is altering and how the Windemerean song got stronger. However, the song began to take on its effects as the Windermereans grew in strength, along with the majority of the Ragnan N.U.N.S. forced getting affected by the Var. The song even reached out to the civilians that evacuated into the island ship stationed, with some of them succumbing to the Var Syndrome while the pilots of the Delta Platoon groaned from the headache provided.

"Delta 01 to all units," everyone heard Arad speak out to them, linking the comms to him. "There is an emergency! We're abandoning Ragna!"

"What," Yang commented, shouting out in frustration. "Are you kidding me right now?"

"We're just going to run away," Hayate added in, only to go wide eyed at the news he received from him.

"The Civilians have been affected by the Var." It took seconds for the situation to dawn on them as Arad continued. "If the violence ensues, casualties will be sky-high. We'll suppress the Var with Walkure's singing and bring in as many civilians as possible before we take off. Stand your ground until the evacuation's complete. OVER!"

"Well, what are we waiting for," Ruby spoke out as the comm died. "You heard Arad. We have a job to do and we're going to do it right."

"But Ruby," Yang called out. "This isn't like our previous engagements with the Aerial Knights before. It's not just them and the Var N.U.N.S., but we have the whole Windermerean army here as well."

"Then we'll take out as many as we can, sis." She stood her ground. "Don't you remember our job? It's to protect the people and fight back against any threats presented."

"Now you're thinking like a pilot," Summer spoke out before getting serious. "But in case you haven't forgotten, you lost your Valkyrie from the blast."

"Oh come on, don't be like that," Hayate's voice was heard as they looked at the young man approaching them with a smirk. "Sure we were shot down, but that doesn't mean it's over for us."

"But Hayate, you lost your plane," Mirage pointed out, only to see him and Ruby nod at the same time.

"True, but have you already forgotten?" He then smiled as both he and the young reaper spoke at the same time, giving them thumbs up.

" **We have spares**!"

Both Yang and Mirage could only look at each other in curiosity as the two pilots rushed off into the _Aether_ , shrugging it off before getting back into their respective VF-31s and launching back into the skies. Moments afterwards, two more VF-31 _Siegfried_ models appeared on the launch deck of the carrier, with the familiar emblems of both the Grim Reaper and the Belladonna adorned on their backs. Both of the Valkyries, once piloted by the late Messer and Blake, are now being taken back into the skies by Hayate and Ruby respectively, with each one paying their respects to their fallen friends.

"I'm borrowing her, Messer."

"This is for you, Blake."

At the start of Walkure singing their song **Walkure Attack** , the two VF-31s' thrusters came to life before pushing the two fighters, launching them off of the _Aether_ and sending them into the Ragnan skies. As they flew, both the young man and girl were joined by their fellow pilots, with Mirage taking his left and Yang and Summer flying above Ruby. Smiling that her family is with her in the battle, she flew the _Siegfried_ over to rejoin the others, looking down to see the Island ship that houses the civilians.

Looking in wonder, she noticed that the last of the Ragnan buildings on the waters entered the colony ship as light blared to life around it. Closing its bay doors, the generators of the craft came on to life as the engines heated up, allowing the vessel to lift up from the waters and fly once again. Flying over towards the hovering Island ship, the young Reaper was eventually rejoined by Weiss' fighter, who flew below her before connecting to Ruby's comm.

"I'm glad that you can rejoin us Ruby," she spoke to her, making the young Reaper see a smile on the heiress' face. "Make her proud, partner."

"I plan to, Weiss," Ruby replied back to her with her own smile until Arad's voice was heard.

"Everyone, listen up," he started off, getting their attention. "As long as we can hear the songs of out galactic goddesses Walkure, We will not go down without a fight."

His words raised the morale of all of the pilots unaffected by the Windermereans' mind control and the Delta Platoon, allowing them all to group together as the Island ship sailed behind the _Aether_. Watching it from the screens and hearing the song being performed by the tactical sound unit, the Windermereans watched in fury as their opponents are preparing to evacuate. Leaving the bridge, Gale looked back at the form of Gramia before focusing on her mission, leaving the king and Lloyd alone.

"The enemy is already running," the elder Windermerean said in distain. "The wind of victory is already within our grasp. However, we cannot allow this threat to persist."

"We shall annihilate Walkure," Keith muttered out as he set his sights on the _Aether_ , joined by his fellow Aerial Knights while seeing the unified front mass in front of the Island ship.

"Alpha, Beta, Gamma and all defence platoons," Arad called out to his fellow pilots of Chaos, using a wide span communication link. "Protect the island ship and the _Aether_ at all costs. Delta Platoon and White Rose, focus your assault on the White Knight's group. Protect the civilians and Walkure until the evacuation is complete."

They all acknowledged the orders given to them by the commanding officer of the Delta Platoon, breaking off to take on their chosen opponents. Grouping up with Yang, Weiss had her sights set on the SV-262 Drakens that targeted her in her previous engagements, licking her lips before opening fire on the two Windermereans. Knowing that the two coordinate their attacks, she had planned for them to break off before going after one of the twins, leaving the other in Yang's grasp.

Looking back, Xao took notice of the VF-31 chasing him while firing on his plane, gritting his teeth while mentally cursing the Snowflake from preparing ahead of them. Strafing left and right, he tried to shake off Weiss' hail of bullets to no avail, hoping that his brother would come get her off his tail. Feeling his rune glow, he looked up to see Theo struggle against Yang's attacks, knowing that they no longer have the drones to fend them off. He then remembered the Var controlled N.U.N.S. forces still remaining on the planet and, using his rune, ordered the mind controlled pilots to come and fend her off.

Seeing a squadron come after her, the twin smiled in victory as the VF-171s were right behind her, only to be shocked as the White Rose came in and opened fire on them, destroying the machines in the process. He had forgotten about the VF-25 _Messiah_ arriving during the battle, and could only watch in rage as the machine took out the Windermereans' mind controlled puppets. Weiss however, smiled in relief as Ruby's mother came and took out the _Nightmares_ that approached, keeping her eyes set on the fleeing Windermerean fighter.

Smiling as she had helped one of Ruby's friends by taking out the Var controlled VF-171s, the White Rose set her own sights on any other N.U.N.S. forces firing against the defence platoons, switching between her rifle and her stocked missiles. Seeing another group of VF-171 _Nightmare_ s flying over towards what's left of the Alpha Platoon, she set her targeting systems on the rampaging N.U.N.S. fighters, only to see her ammunition has run out again. Smirking, she flew behind one of the Valkyries before shifting into Battroid Mode, kicking the gun pod off one of the transformed fighter's hands before grabbing it. She then aimed it at the unsuspecting Var N.U.N.S. machines, opening fire and destroying the fighters and saving the Alpha Platoon in the process.

"Alright, another group down," she muttered to herself, looking around to find Ruby. "Now where did she go—" The sight of the White Knight's SV-262 came into her view as it destroyed a VF-171, muttering in Japanese. " **Shiro Kishi** ( **白騎士** )"

Keeping watch over the unfolding events, she flew over to where any other defence unit needed her help, leaving the White Knight in the hands of Delta. Destroying another VF-171 _Nightmare_ and flying through the smoke, Keith kept an impassive look as he moved further and further towards Walkure's position, intent on silencing them. Bullet fire, along with his glowing rune, altered his perception as he looked back, glaring as the familiar fighters of his fallen rivals locked on to him.

"This wind," he muttered out before shouting towards the pilots. "You two are not worthy of those planes."

Angered that the planes once piloted by his rivals are being used once more, the White Knight grunted as he maneuvered the Draken away from the oncoming bullet fire coming from the Valkyries. Thinking back, he had noticed that both Hayate and Ruby's planes must have been destroyed by the warhead, realizing that he was still facing them before the bomb went off. Quickly maneuvering away from the bullet fire, the blonde male managed to get behind the two VF-31s before locking on, only to avoid another set of bullets coming from Mirage and Chuck.

"Delta 04, Delta 05, Formation: Hallman," Mirage commanded them, hearing them acknowledge the order as they regrouped.

"I've reached it," the White Knight muttered out with a smirk as his SV-262 Draken flew closer to a large cluster of clouds.

"What is he…" Ruby spoke out in shock.

"He accelerated," Hayate answered her, also shocked as the _Siegfried_ s followed the Aerial Knight.

"He's returning to the enemy fleet," Mirage asked out, not far behind of both the young man and woman's fighters.

"Not so fast," Chuck shouted out after her, only for their Valkyries to hit the turbulence and forcing him to back out. "Don't lose him."

Chasing after the Windermerean plane despite the strong winds, the pilots of the Delta Platoon grunted out as their planes shook from the wind. Alarms blared out to life, warning them of the danger of flying in the strong gusts as their eyes stayed on the SV-262 in front of them. Out of desperation due to the powerful winds, they all moved their controls around in order to stay flying steadily, whereas the Draken continued to smoothly sail in the skies.

"Damn," Hayate cursed out as his eyes stayed on the Windermerean. "He can fly so steadily in this wind?!" He then went wide eyed as the fighter in front of the VF-31s stalled back, getting behind them. "WHAT?"

As their battle continued on against the White Knight, Walkure's song was suddenly interrupted as the Wind Singer retaliated by reinforcing the Song of the Wind. Heinz, along with the sound system installed in the _Sigur Valens_ , pours his heart and soul into the song, causing a shockwave that pushed back the tactical sound unit. This force of power caused the singers to hold onto one another as they tried to fight back with their own sound, but Mikumo, being the one who can feel it more, realized what was happening with the shockwave.

"This force," she started out, holding her ground. "The Wind Singer's risking his life."

"At this rate," Kaname started out, hearing Freyja finish for her.

"Our song won't reach them."

"Delta 05, behind you," the young Windermerean heard Mirage in the comm, along with the sounds of bullets passing by. "Run, Delta 05! Hayate!"

"HAYATE," Freyja shouted out in fear as she looked back at the skies, only to see another SV-262 Draken coming towards them.

"You small group of rotting apples," Bogue commented with a smirk as he got closer to the _Aether_. "I am going to enjoy burying you all today."

With that being said, the hotheaded Windermerean disconnected the drones off of his fighter before sending them towards the carrier holding the sound unit. He paid no mind to the VF-31 _Kairos_ models firing at them; firing back to push them away as the drones flew passed them, following them while ignoring the human pilots. He then launched a volley of missiles as he took notice of the White Rose coming in, only to back off as Gale came in her own Draken and pushed her away, allowing the redhead to focus on the _Aether_ as the missiles impacted the ship.

"GOTCHA," he shouted out in victory as he fired a blast towards the dome housing the tactical sound unit, impacting the glass that separated Walkure from the outside world. Each of the singers jumped down as Mikumo forced Freyja to the cold, metal surface, just in time as the shield surrounding them shattered like glass. This caused Hayate to call out Freyja's name before being hit by the White Knight's own blast while the Windermerean leadership watched in anticipation.

"Enemy carrier's sound fold waves silenced," one of the Windermerean bridge operators announced to Gramia. "Sync between our ship and the emerged Protoculture structure has stabilized."

"It is going according to plan," Lloyd spoke to the king, satisfied with the results. "Our ship's weapon system, the true power of the Protoculture, is awakening."

"Very well," Gramia nodded before speaking up in a commanding tone. "All ships, prepare to fire. Target: The enemy carrier."

Under his command, the _Sigur Valens_ started to prepare its weapon system, setting its sights on the _Aether_ as Walkure started to recover from Bogue's attack. Out of the five singers, Mikumo sustained an injury on her arm due to her protecting Freyja from the blast. When she assured them that she was fine, they all looked back to see the Windermerean flagship open fire on the carrier, destroying two VF-31 _Kairos_ models as the blast moved towards the carrier. All that the sound unit could do was hold on to one another as the blast got further to the _Aether_ , closing their eyes and awaiting their doom.

"NOT TODAY," the voice of Ernest came through their comms, making them look up to see the Macross _Elysion_ descending rapidly down the skies. "Don't stop. Full speed ahead."

The Macross fortress arrived in front of the _Aether_ just as the blast got close enough, using the Pin-Point Barrier system to absorb the attack. The girls watched in shock as the attack meant for them was blocked in time by the _Elysion_ before it dissipated, allowing the warship to deactivate its shield systems. However, this left the Macross temporarily powerless as it plummeted down, crashing into the waters before submerging, disappearing into the abyss.

When Arad called out to the Captain of the _Elysion_ , the girls of Walkure could only stand in horror as to what had happened. Mikumo, being the stubborn one, suggested that they continue singing out to the battle, only to collapse into Kaname's arms due to her injuries. While she tried to assure them that she was fine, Freyja looked back out into the battle to see Hayate struggle against the White Knight, flying away from the Windermerean's hail of bullets as Ruby came up from behind.

"Hayate," the young singer muttered in shock, watching as Keith's attacks landed on Hayate's fighter while her rune began to glow. "I have to reach him…" She then had flashbacks of her songs reaching him in their previous battles. "My song… it has to reach him."

The girls then looked over to see the flashes of light coming from Freyja's rune as the young Windermerean stood up, repeating the phrase until she jumped up with her head held high. Walkure was shocked to see her jump and land outside of the broken dome, but then they went wide eyed as she began to sing the song **Ichido Dake no Koi Nara** ( **一度だけの恋なら** ) as she ran towards Hayate. To add further jump, she jumped off of the _Aether_ as her outfit changed to her iconic Walkure uniform, falling down head first to reach her pilot/partner.

Laying her eyes on the spiraling VF-31 _Siegfried_ the young man was in, she pours out her soul as she sang out the song in the hopes of it reaching his ears. Realizing what she was doing, the tactical sound unit smiled at her determination, commenting on her decision before nodding towards one another. As she got closer towards the spiraling fighter, the effects of her song already began to reach out to the civilians and any pilots currently suffering to the headaches caused by the Var, realizing that the young Windermerean was singing out for them as well.

It didn't take long for the rest of Walkure to join in on the song as their outfits changed into their iconic looks, lending their voices to Freyja to increase the song's effectiveness. Due to the fold waves being emitted from them, the crystal on Hayate's necklace began to resonate with the song as the young man opened his eyes slowly. At first, his vision was blurred due to them being closed during the spiral, but as his vision cleared, he heard the sound of the song and, gasping lightly, he looked around to find the singer.

"This song…" he started out until he spotted the Windermerean girl reaching his fighter. "Freyja. What are you…?"

"I found you…" the girl spoke up as she smiled, emitting a light blush as she kept falling down in the skies.

"Freyja…" He could only mutter out before gaining the feeling of his own body flying in the skies due to the crystal resonating with the song. However, he wasn't the only one who had the feeling as both Keith and Heinz, with their runes glowing, became shocked as the song had reach out to them. Feeling the distress of the young prince, the King's own glowed as he looked back, worried for him.

"HEINZ," he shouted out in fear, shocking Lloyd as the other Aerial Knights felt the fold waves coming from Freyja's song while Hayate regained control. Shifting into Gerwalk mode, he guided the VF-31 closer towards the young Windermerean, extending its arms to catch her. However, the hand was eventually destroyed as a hail of bullets crashed into it, pushing the girl away and forcing Hayate's focus back onto the White Knight.

"Freyja," he shouted her name before shifting into Fighter Mode to avoid another barrage. "White Knight… FREYJA."

"Hayate, leave Freyja to me," he heard Mirage as her _Siegfried_ flew closer to the girl, already in Gerwalk Mode. "You fly to your heart's content, and take out the White Knight."

"Thanks Mirage." He then looked forward, keeping his eyes on the SV-262. "I'm leaving Freyja to you."

"What, are you forgetting about me," he then looked to see another hail of bullets appearing, narrowly missing the White Knight's plane as it flew away as Ruby's Valkyrie came into view, her voice filled with sarcasm on the comm. "Honestly, I thought we were a team, Hayate."

He could only chuckle before getting serious, joining up with the young Reaper as their two loaned fighters closed in on the White Knight, with the SV-262 Draken coming towards them. As they passed one another, the runes in Keith's hair glowed, making him realize that the wind has changed, allowing both Chaos pilots to read his movements. Glaring at them, they broke off from one another before the White Knight re-engaged them in combat as the dimensional barrier dispersed around the _Sigur Valens_.

With Walkure's song surprising the command structure of the Windermerean forces and even preventing the Var takeover in the island ship, all that Gramia and Lloyd could do was stand and watch as their weapon system charged up. Luckily for Freyja, Mirage came in and picked her up, saving her from impacting the waters and possibly losing her life to the battle. Underneath all of the chaos, the waters rippled and tore apart as the Macross _Elysion_ came back into view, already beginning its transformation sequence and further shocking the Windermereans.

"Not half bad, Captain," Arad commented as the fortress stood in the waters, relieved to see it OK.

"Nothing can stop a Macross," Summer muttered out with a smile before refocusing on Gale's fighter.

"LET'S DO THIS, GRAMIA," Ernest shouted out to his former student as the _Elysion_ aimed _Hemera_ at the _Sigur Valens_.

"You're not getting in my way, ERNEST," the Windermerean shouted out as the Windermerean Flagship prepared its weapons system, taking aim at the Macross as the _Hemera_ changed into the _Elysion_ 's cannon and preparing to fire. The _Sigur Valens_ then opened fire first, and, luckily for the crew, the blast only damaged part of the Macross, missing the bridge, the cannon and the flagship's mechanical organs. It didn't take long for the _Elysion_ to open fire as well; penetrating through what's left of the dimensional barrier before damaging what could have been the control room of the Protoculture warship.

Both Yang and Weiss watched in total awe over the destructive power the _Elysion_ showed against Windermere's flagship, smirking as they nodded before continuing their skirmish against the Windermerean twins Theo and Xao. Along with them, Ruby's mind briefly went into overdrive over the _Hemera_ 's power before refocusing on the White Knight with Hayate, dodging the Draken's bullet fire along with the young man and surprising Keith immensely. Unknown to her, the young girl's silver eyes began to faintly glow in resonance to Walkure's song along with Hayate's necklace, resulting in their VF-31s emitting a light trail as they opened fire on the SV-262.

"How are they…" Keith started as he looked back, avoiding their bullet fire. "They're using my wind."

"Whoa, how is Ruby flying like that," Yang thought out as she watched her sister fight the White Knight with Hayate before smiling. "Make that bastard pay for what he did to Blake, sis."

The SV-262 and the two VF-31s continued their battle as the bullets coming from both Hayate and Ruby were fired at the White Knight, forcing the blonde Windermerean to dodge the assault. Having had enough of it, he directed his plane up to the sky before shifting into Gerwalk mode; a motion mimicked by the young man in Messer's plane at the same time as their cannons charged up to fire. Taking aim, they both fired upon each other, causing both of their weapons to be destroyed until Ruby came up in front of Keith's fighter in Gerwalk Mode as well, opening fire to disable the rest of his offensive capabilities and forcing him to grunt out.

"Is that all you can do," the White Knight muttered out. "Then clearly you haven't—"

His rune then glowed once more before he could finish, making him glance over to Hayate prepping his gun pod before firing at the Draken. The bullets impacted the plane as they travelled upwards, damaging the arms before the bullet impacted where the cockpit was. The resulting impact forced the White Knight to move his head slightly as debris got into his face, knocking him out as his fighter descended downwards to the crater on Ragna's surface.

In their minds, Ruby and Hayate mentally told their fallen friends… that they have been avenged.

* * *

"No pursuers detected."

"Apart from some of the Delta Platoon and the White Rose, all units are aboard."

As the battle of Ragna came to an end, the forces of Chaos had left the planet's surface after the long struggle against the majority of the Windermerean forces and the Var controlled N.U.N.S. pilots. Despite besting the White Knight, the young reaper could only look back in sadness as the VF-31 she's piloting landed on the reattached _Aether_ , knowing that the sovereign nation has taken control of the planet, completing the Starwind Sector. However, despite the loss, she made a lasting impression on their forces when she and Hayate took down their ace pilot, scarring their forces.

She then took notice of the island ship and the escort fleet surrounding them, knowing that despite the losses, Chaos still has enough manpower to maintain their forces. Herself, along with Weiss and Yang, could only watch in sadness as they left Ragna behind, remembering all of the fond moments they had on the ocean planet. From Yang's work experience in Ragnyannyan to the jellyfish festival, they won't ever forget the time they had on their second home away from home. They can already tell that the others in the Delta Platoon had similar feelings about leaving Ragna behind.

"Ragna…" Yang started in a quiet whisper.

"Our home away from home…" Weiss added in, shedding a tear.

"Our blue planet…" Mirage spoke up afterwards.

"We'll definitely be back…" Hayate muttered, keeping an eye on the ocean world as several fold gates appeared in front of the Ragnan fleet.

"And we'll be ready to take it back." The young reaper finished out for everyone, looking forward as the fleet entered the gateway, leaving Ragna behind and beginning their time as refugees. Meanwhile, in the damaged control room of the _Sigur Valens_ , Lloyd had found out from Gale that the White Knight has been defeated and is currently recovering. Shocked, he went over to where the King once stood, only to be shocked and rushed over to Gramia as the elder Windermerean suffered life threatening injuries.

"Your Majesty…" he started out with his runes glowing, holding onto the King's body. Your Majesty! Please wake up, Your Majesty!"

"H-Heinz…" was all that Gramia could let out before his rune died out, leaving out one last breath before passing away. Shocked, the chancellor could only sit and watch as Gale clenched her fist and closing her eyes, mentally saying a prayer for her old friend that gave his life for Windermere's cause. She then heard the chancellor get up before placing his jacket over the deceased Gramia, changing out his glasses before looking forward towards the _Sigur Valens_ with a steeled expression.

"Attention to all forces," he began to address the Windermerean fleet. "In accordance with His Majesty's last will, I will assume command. I, on behalf of the Kingdom of Windermere, hereby announce the completion… Of the Starwind Sector."

* * *

 **A/N: Well, practically two months overdue, but I am proud to say that the chapter is now finished. I apologize for the long wait.**

 **Now, Windermere has officially taken control of Ragna and completed the Starwind sector at the cost of both Gramia and a now unconscious Keith. But even the forces of Chaos had their losses too. Ragna was taken from them, the N.U.N.S. has set off a reaction warhead, and now the** _ **Elysion**_ **and the remaining fleet are now refugees. On the bright side, the White Rose came and saved Ruby once again, and even decided to reveal herself to the young reaper. Also, I made Maran more of a douche, but that's because I have him chasing after the White Rose.**

 **Review Replies:**

 **Alexwu704:** _ **Laurie Maran is an idiot and I hope he died in episode 25**_

 **Don't worry, he is going to get what is coming to him eventually.**

 **Marcus the Kane:** _ **Bzzzttt…**_

 _ **That Major is such an asshole! No one, and I mean no one, should accuse Ruby like that! Cool chapter by the way.**_

 _ **Bzzzttt…**_

 **I think at this point, everyone will hate Maran for what he's going after. But you can blame him for accusing her just because of the Rose emblem Ruby added on to her Chaos uniform jacket. Still, he's a persistent bastard.**

 **Yuiharime:** _ **I think I agree with the current relationship of Yang & Chuck. And oh! Love the moments between Hayate, Freyja and Mirage with Ruby getting stuck in the mix.**_

 **I'm glad you liked it, Yui. And in the next chapter, I think I'm going to focus on the triangle between Hayate, Freyja and Mirage. Give them the spotlight for once.**

 **Wee-0wee-0:** _ **Great chapter! Love how life is going good for the cast after the deaths of Blake and Messer. By the way, I'm fixed. And what I did from my previous review is a poor imitation of 'Broken' Matt Hardy.**_

 **Oh… Well when I saw the 'DELETE! DELETE! DELETE!', I automatically thought that you were trying to imitate something from Doctor Who. Thanks for clearing that up for me.**

 **Duel:** _ ***sigh*...you fix one problem, and another shows up almost immediately...**_

 _ **Look, I know you have a good story, and mind you, this is a rare gem of a story. But dear god, I can't stand your wonton ideas of VF modifications! The engineer in me is crying tears of blood!**_

 _ **I'm an engineering student, so your blatant disregard for the design of the airframes is driving me up the wall. And if there's one thing I hate about most other mecha fanfics: it's the fact that SOME people have the gall to think some customization can go well(like bulking up a VF-25's arms A LOT, and hope it still clears the transformation from battroid into fighter)**_

 _ **According to some sources, Kawamori Shoji has a degree in aircraft engineering, so he has an idea on how to make the VF's transformations work.(and he's known for testing ideas for VFs with Lego blocks)**_

 _ **If you can, search up the chogokin VF-31J, VF-25F, and Sv-262, most reviews will show you how the transformation works, and you can get an idea on what modifications can work, and what can't.**_

 _ **Sorry, going off on a tangent again. Back to the plot! The first half of the Anime's story is about to reach its climax, and please, PLEASE, don't crash Ruby's Siegfried, Hayate's is enough. I can't wait to see how this folds out (no pun intended)**_

 ***sighs* Well, I just can't seem to please everybody. I mean, sure, you know more than I do, and I appreciate it, but I honestly think I couldn't please you with Weiss' customized Valkyrie. I honestly hope that in this chapter that you would, Keyword: 'Would,' accept this last idea I have for Weiss' Rapier for her VF-31. If not… I don't know what to do in order to please the engineer in you.**

 **Now, back to the plot. I know you don't want me to crash Ruby's fighter, but then how else would I bring in the White Rose. Keep in mind that this has been planned since last year when I started this. Every single day when I'm at work, I have been visualizing this the whole time until I reach this chapter and publish it. And lastly, in chapter 15, Blake's will literally states that her Valkyrie would be given to Ruby after the time of her death.**

 **Just… bear with me on this as I continue to type this crossover. It is, literally, the only RWBY x Macross crossover that is being worked on right now.**

 **XY Kid:** _ **That was a great chapter. I was wondering when Jaune and his crew is appearing again… it's been a while.**_

 **All I can say is that they will appear very soon. I have one more chapter left of Arc II before I can bring them in.**

 **Tendaysromeo:** _ **Do you really have to mention the S-S-SHOGUN KAYO reference? It makes me wanna do it again… Anyways, great chapter. Ruby getting promoted was nice and the love triangle of Freyja, Mirage and Hayate is still going strong. And Lastly… S-S-SHOGUN KAYO!**_

 **S-S-S-SHOGUN KAYO—OK, got that out of my system. I had to mention it on one of the review replies because it reminded me of that. Anyways, I know that, in Macross Canon, Hayate had been made Delta 04, but in this, with Ruby being made a Second Lt., it would allow him to stay being Delta 05.**

 **Lastly, before I sign out, I would like to point out that another Idea I have been working on for a little bit is currently on standby, but two one shots have been published. If you don't know, the idea is a Re:CREATORS project and it will feature the characters of my choosing. So far the one shots for both Yang and Velvet Crowe from Tales of Berseria has been published and uploaded, but for now that idea is on hold. I want to stay focused on this one for now, but when it's finished, I'll get to work on it.**

 **I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. What do you think? Leave a Favorite, Follow and Review.**

 **With that out of the way, I'm BlazefireDrago, signing out.**


	18. Adrift in the Stars

**Disclaimer: RWBY is owned by Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth Productions, while Macross is owned by Shoji Kawamori and Studio Satelight.**

* * *

Darkness. That was all that the girls of the Delta Platoon have grown used to since leaving Ragna behind with the Island ship and the remaining forces of Chaos. Even after passing through the fold gates in the ocean world's orbit, they don't know where else to go in order to plan out their next move against the Kingdom of Windermere. The young reaper, looking over towards the domed ship that is housing the civilians from Ragna, couldn't help but wonder about Remnant, hoping that Windermere hasn't begun there move there.

The thoughts of home then came into her mind as memories of her past came back in full force, reminding her about what she has chosen to do. On Remnant, she desperately wanted to be a Huntress because it has always been her dream, even reaching Beacon Academy two years early in order to pursue it. She knew of the dangers the Grimm brought to the world and hoped she would work hard to make the world better. That same way of thinking applies to her current occupation as a pilot of the Delta Platoon, and seeing the Island ship and its escort of both Chaos and N.U.N.S. cruisers gave her an uneasy feeling of failure. However, she wasn't going to let Ragna's capture to Windermere hold her back, so long as she still has her team with her.

Looking over around her, she had noticed that the large majority of Chaos has been ordered to make repairs to Island 'Jackpot,' the domed ship that is housing the refugees. Ruby, however, was given orders along with Weiss and Yang to perform advanced reconnaissance patrols around the fleet's radius, making sure that the Windermereans weren't trailing them as they wondered in space. She then thought about whether or not they'll operate in a fleet, or settle down on a planet free of Windermerean influence.

" _2_ _nd_ _Lt._ ," she heard the _Elysion_ contact her. " _What's the status?_ "

"We're clear of any Windermerean pursuers," she answered them, clutching onto the controls of the VF-31. "Permission to assist in the repairs, control?"

" _Negative. Expand your recon radius and report to us the moment you see Windermere's forces._ "

"Roger that." She then shut off communications before sighing heavily, looking at the familiar fighters flown by her teammates. "After all this, I think we all need a vacation."

"I'm down for that, sis," Yang spoke up on the comm, looking at the _Siegfried_ and _Kairos_ models working around the Island Ship. "But in order to have a vacation, we need to be out of a time of war."

"And we know Windermere's going to drag this conflict," Weiss added in, looking over the information provided. "On the plus side, we managed to delay them immeasurably. The _Elysion_ was able to break through their flagship's barrier, damaging it in the process. Not to mention that both Ruby and Hayate managed to take down the White Knight. Needless to say, they're going to be feeling it a lot."

"It won't be long until they recover from their 'embarrassment." The blonde then rubbed her shoulder with her prosthetic. "Cause I have a feeling they're going to come back in full force."

"Until then, we're going to stay cautious," Ruby interrupted them, setting up a flight plan for their reconnaissance. "Starting with our Recon. I've forwarded the data over to you two. Let's move out, Second Division."

"Roger," they both confirmed the order as their VF-31s converged with Ruby's, flying off away from the fleet as the rest of Chaos continued to make repairs on the Island ship. One of the _Siegfried_ s, a fighter piloted by Chuck Mustang, worked on fixing one of the solar panels with a passive expression shown on his face. His own mind kept wondering on the one thing he cares about the most, and that was if his family made it into the Island Ship during the battle safely, or was caught by the blast courtesy of the N.U.N.S. reaction warhead.

"2nd Lt. Chuck," he absently heard the _Elysion_ contact him on the comm. "Please head to outer area B3 and clear the Debris." He didn't acknowledge the order due to his mind focusing on his family's fate, causing the operator Beth to call out to him again. "2nd Lt. Chuck?"

"Oh," he snapped out before confirming the orders. "Uh, right."

"He still doesn't know if his family is safe," Nina spoke up to her fellow bridge operator, showing how worried she was.

"Yeah…" Beth muttered out in silence, nodding in agreement before going back to work by directing the pilots to their designated repair stations. Meanwhile, Arad, along with Ernest, Makina and Reina, stood in silence as a holographic display of the Island ship was shown to them, revealing warning labels around the affected areas. They all stood in silence as they listened to Guy's reports on the refugee craft, wondering about what needs to be done to fix their dilemma.

"As you can see," Guy announced to the senior officers and the two Walkure Singers. "The Island Ship's fold reactors could fail at any moment. We do wish we could fix the problem immediately; however, we don't have the necessary resources to repair them. We're going to run out of air and power eventually."

"What are our options," Ernest asked the engineers.

"Having it dock to the _Elysion_ is the only thing that makes sense."

The holographic display changed to include the _Elysion_ , showing a possible connection to fix Island Jackpot as Harry took over. "The Macross-class reactors should be able to handle the combined load, but the Island Ship's docking system was also damaged."

"Just do what you can for now," the Zentradi ordered before receiving Arad's datapad, going through it until he got what he needed from it. "Also, we have received a transfer request from an S.M.S. pilot into our roster."

"A transfer request," Arad questioned him, confused as to what he meant.

"Correct. This particular pilot is no stranger to conflict, and it has been confirmed by the branch from the _Frontier_ branch. Not only was she involved with the war with the Vajra, but she also has stood against Windermere's forces time and time again. Her recent battle was alongside us during the battle of Ragna."

"You don't mean," Makina muttered out wide eyed, having an idea as to who he was referring too.

"That's right. For now, she's assisting with looking over the refugees with Kaname and Freyja." He then sighed as he muttered out his last thoughts. "To think that we'd get help from the White Rose… Truly, things are going to get interesting from now on."

While him and the others continued to discuss the problems of the Island ship's fold reactor, the situation with the civilians remain hectic as Kaname, Freyja and the White Rose pilot worked to assure their safety. Many refugees were grouped together as they shared their sorrows towards the tactical sound unit leader, mutter out how they never thought Ragna would have been invaded and even shouting out that they wanted to return to the ocean world. Despite the situation, the girls did what they could to calm the people down, only for the situation to continue escalating as the civilians issued their problems with Walkure's leader.

"My daughter is missing," she heard an elderly Ragnan speak out his troubles. "She was with me when we boarded."

"We had an old lady, and…" another Ragnan called out to the redhead, causing her to raise her hand worryingly.

"Everyone, please remain calm," she had called out to the crowd. "We have a designated location where people can check in. I'd suggest trying that—"

She was immediately interrupted as the power fluctuated in the Island Ship, causing portions of the artificial sky to reveal the vast emptiness of space before returning to a false daylight. The people cried out in fear as they watched the phenomenon happen, freaking out if it was going to be a prominent issue for their time on the cruiser. Regardless of the situation, the young Windermerean Freyja continued her work of handing out supplies to the people, keeping a smile on her face at all times.

"There's no need to worry," she announced out to the people. "They're working their hardest to repair everything, so I'm sure we'll be fine."

"Is that true," she heard a Ragnan kid ask her out of worry, causing her to look at her with a smile.

"You betcha. Lying makes your teeth rotten."

"FREYJA," she heard a young familiar voice calling out to her, making her look over to see Zach, Hack and Elizabeth standing beside their belongings. Now knowing that Chuck's siblings are OK, the young girl quickly handed the rest of the supplies she had before rushing towards them, hugging them in the process. Even though they weren't her family, to Freyja, they have been there for her since she started working for Walkure.

Knowing that Chuck would be finished with his part of the repairs, the young Windermerean lead the kids away from the hectic scene, leaving both Kaname and Summer to handle the rest of the supply handling to the refugees. The sound unit leader couldn't help but be curious about the White Rose pilot, taking in her features and how she's carried herself. In a way, Summer appears as a carbon copy of Ruby, only more mature and experienced as a Valkyrie pilot.

She then thought about how the war has been affecting the people of Ragna as she tended to the refugees, listening to their woes and worries with a sympathetic look. Even if they would have been gone for a few weeks, she would still consider Ragna her home due to the memories she made on the ocean world. She looked upwards to see the artificial sky dimming in certain areas before continuing her work, grateful that she has the help of the White Rose pilot.

* * *

"What's going on? Resting is a part of your duty too."

After being reunited with his siblings on board the _Elysion_ and learning about what had happened to his sister Marianne, Chuck, along with Hayate, Mirage and Freyja approached the bridge to speak with both Arad and Ernest about their situation. Both Delta 02 and Delta 05 pilots felt worried about their Ragnan friend, considering how a member of his family wasn't on board the Island ship. Knowing what he was going to say, they both followed him to the bridge of the Macross, accompanied by the Windermerean singer.

"Can't we do something to help the civilians left on Ragna," Mirage asked the delta CO for Chuck, only for Arad to glance at the Ragnan before answering.

"The ruins further amplified the enemy's singing," he told them before turning his back on them, closing his eyes and crossing his arms before continuing. "We can't enter the globular cluster."

"We should at least do some recon," Hayate pleaded, leaning forward. "At least give Ruby and her team a break."

"We can't afford to split up our forces, and they're only doing recon around our fleet."

"Ragna is my home," Chuck finally spoke up, closing his eyes with a pained expression while pitching his voice high. "My friends and family are still there."

"We share the same sentiments," the Zentradi captain spoke out, shocking the Ragnan. "Calm down."

"My apologies."

"Are the people on Ragna safe," Freyja asked out to them, getting a visual of the _Sigur Valens_ still at the ruins on the ocean world as Arad began to speak.

"This is footage from one of our agents who remained on Ragna," he announced as the pilots and the singer watched in shock. "Just like the situation on Voldor, they are not harming the civilians." The visuals then changed to an Aerial Knight passing out rations to the people left behind on the planet. "They are even supplying them with food and water."

"Apples and water," the Ragnan muttered in shock, seeing what the rations are before speaking again. "They're doing it so they can control them with the Var." He then realized that his ally was a Windermerean, making him look at Freyja with an apologetic look. "Sorry."

"No, it's OK," she assured him, showing that she wasn't offended.

"Are we really just going to sit here and watch," the young man asked out to Arad, upset over the situation.

"At this point in time, we don't have enough ammo or fuel," Arad pointed out to him. "We don't even have the funds to buy more." He then turned around to face them. "Chaos is a civilian contractor. We need contracts and money to function."

"But didn't we have a defense commission from the globular cluster alliance," Mirage asked out to them.

"That very alliance is basically destroyed now," Ernest answered her, keeping his eyes forward. "Even though our contract is still intact, we can't expect payments anytime soon."

"For now, the most we can do is protect the civilians on board the island ship," Arad continued for him, sighing as he placed his hands in his pockets. "I'm sure that Lady M. is working on a way on her end right now."

* * *

A large portion of the N.U.N.S. forces that survived in the war, those under the command of Major Laurie Maran, continued their course away from Ragna while they recover their losses from the battle. The Major was pleased with the results he had obtained from observing the amplification of the Protoculture ruins to the _Sigur Valens_. While he lost the earlier chance to capture the White Rose, he knew that it was a matter of time until she was in their custody thanks to the plant he placed in Chaos' fleet. He was announcing the results he acquired to Central N.U.N.S., keeping a professional posture towards his senior officers.

"We have successfully withdrawn all of our forces," he announced to them, having a holographic display of Windermere's control over the cluster.

" _I'm told the song of Windermere can be heard across the cluster,_ " one of the N.U.N.S. higher ups said out to the Major.

"All ruins have activated and are actively generating a special fold sound field that has the capability to interfere with the mental functions of sentient life forms. This field, which envelops the cluster, accelerates the Var symptoms of those within and allows for mind control." He then brought out a file before continuing. "However, the song's effects are much milder than anticipated. We suspect that they haven't completely figured out the abilities of the ruins either."

" _What about fold jamming_?"

"This was the first time we deployed it against the Wind Singer, so the results were unclear."

" _If only the operation had succeeded seven years ago, it wouldn't have come to this_ ," another N.U.N.S. senior officer spoke out in annoyance, only to be silenced by the third.

" _Bringing that up won't get us anywhere. Take care of it quickly_."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

The situation continued to gradually worsen on board the island ship as the refugees continued their complaints about the situation, but the general mood of the children were lightened as Summer offered to comfort them for the parents. They were surprised to learn that the woman was the White Rose that helped in the battle for Ragna, knowing how heavily involved she was in the Vajra war eight years ago. They were baffled by how young she looked, appearing in her mid to late twenties, only for her to tell them that she had been using an older fold drive model on her Valkyrie, causing her fighter to hit many fold faults on her journeys.

Freyja was more surprised to see her with the children as she passed out the supplies over to the people, causing her to smile out more. In her mind, she always wanted to help out the masses in any way and form, and seeing Summer with the kids ignited a fire in her leading to do more for the civilians. However, the sky began to dim in certain areas once more, causing everyone to freak out and the Windermerean girl to look up in worry.

She then overheard a couple assuring one another amidst the refugees, making her look to see them sharing their supplies with one another while showing gratitude towards one another. She felt a feint blush creeping up on her face as she watched the exchange, wondering if her relationship with Hayate was somewhat on the same level, only to shake her thoughts away. She then went on to continue her work as she had one more look at Summer and the children, smiling at the exchange between the two parties.

"Freyja, you should take a break," she heard Kaname call out to her, shaking her out of her stupor.

"Oh, 'kay," she muttered out as she looked at the sound unit leader before going wide eyed and smiled. "I…"

"What?"

"…uh…" She then closed her eyes as an idea popped out of her head. "I forgot to feed Querule!" She turned around and ran off. "I'll be right back."

"Oh… but…" the redhead processed what she said before looking down to the sight of the dorm mercat sleeping. "Querule's right here."

"Something the matter," Summer's voice came behind her, making Walkure's leader look at the senior Rose.

"Oh, it's nothing," she answered her, grabbing her bundle of supplies. "Well, back to work."

Running passed the people in a hurry, the young Freyja searched for the familiar bodies of both Hayate and Mirage, hoping to take her break with them. Grabbing a container of food and a bottle of water, she continued her trek until she ran into the two pilots, seeing them with their own lunches. Getting together, they walked over to one of the empty maintenance hallways, intent on having their break in the quiet than with the commotion from the refugees.

"Let's check on block 9 once we're done with lunch," Mirage told her fellow pilot as they dug into their meals.

"OK," he nodded as he ate; passively looking back at the 1st Lt. "Is this going to be alright? This thing hasn't been in space for the last thirty years."

"The damage it took during the escape from Ragna isn't completely repaired yet either. Who knows what's going to happen?"

The young Windermerean frowned over hearing what the Island ship before remembering the look on their fellow pilot's face. "What about Chuck?"

It took the young man to realize what she meant before sighing, looking down and answered her. "Dunno. I figure he wants to be left alone right now."

"I see." She then looked down somberly. "I'm worried about him."

Taking the chance while she looked down, he managed to sneak a slice of apple from her. "You snooze, you lose."

The young Windermerean stood up in shock as he ate the slice, shouting out in mock irritation. "How could you just steal someone's food like that?!"

"Chill, it's just an apple slice."

"But we're almost out of canned sea apples," she muttered while pouting before straightening out. "Ah, I almost forgot." She then turned around to face the Delta 02 pilot. "Mirage, thanks a bundle for saving me the other day. I never got the chance to say it."

"Oh, don't worry about it," the half Zentradi assured her. "Protecting Walkure is my job."

Hayate smiled as the exchange between the two girls continued before hearing a little noise behind him, causing him and the others to look at the source. A few feet away from them were two mercats showing affection towards each other, with one of them licking the other's face. Both girls smiled at the exchange while the young man looked in surprise as they were near them.

"Those things can live out of water," he asked out in curiosity before sneezing, groaning as his allergies took hold.

"Let's hope we can return to Ragna soon," Mirage said as he wiped his nose while Freyja nodded.

"Yeah," she agreed with the half Zentradi. "I wanna go back. It's where I got to meet you all and where all my dreams came true." She then grew fonder. "Of course I love Windermere too, but at this point, I love Ragna just as much."

"Home, huh…" Hayate muttered as he looked down, not knowing the concept before looking at his friends. "I'm sure Ruby would say the same thing you did, Freyja." He then crossed his arms before continuing. "As for me… my late dad was a soldier and my mom was an army medic, so we never stayed long in one place. The concept of 'home' is just not ingrained in me."

"Is that so?"

"What did your father do in the army," Mirage asked him out of curiosity.

"I honestly don't know the details," he answered her. "He was pretty eccentric. He kept sending me weird stuff from places he's gone to, like seashells, sand, and he once even sent me a snowman in a cooler. He'd always attach a handwritten note. Never outright said where exactly he was, just stuff like 'the sea is blue,' 'the desert's scorching,' or 'the snow numbs the skin.' Short descriptions like that." He then showed them the necklace around his neck. "This is also one of his gifts."

"That's a fold quartz, right?"

"Yeah. No idea how he got it."

"Your dad sounds like a great person," Freyja commented after hearing him.

"You think so? But with a childhood like that, I couldn't find anything I really wanted to do after leaving him. I travelled to a bunch of places, but nothing felt quite right to me." He looked up as he spoke before showing a faint smile. "Then I came to Ragna, got in a VF-31, and the wind just felt so nice. I thought I could maybe figure something out here."

Both girls could only nod in agreement with him, with Mirage being the first to speak out. "Me too. I think Ragna's changed me too."

"You too," Freyja pipes up, looking at the Valkyrie pilot. "Tell me more."

"Well, I could finally feel at ease." She then looks up to the artificial sky while continuing. "I felt I could find something new… just like that."

"So not just anywhere, but somewhere I want to go," Hayate asked out as he stood up, rehearsing the same line Freyja told him when he met her on Al Shahal while shocking her. "Anyway, the sky is too low here. We can't stay here forever."

Both girls agreed with him once more as they looked up to the sky, only to see it dim once more to reveal the cold emptiness of space. They, along with the refugees and the workers of Chaos could only watch in shock as the Island ship's power supply failed once more, scaring the people as they wondered what would eventually happen. Both Summer and Kaname watched with narrowed eyes as the red headed singer began to contact the _Elysion._

"Makina, status," she called out to her fellow singer.

" _Not looking good_ ," she heard the mechanic say to her, followed by the rest of the crew.

" _The Island ship's main reactor is down to twenty-eight percent output_."

" _Cooler units one through three of the Nerith block are down._ "

" _Ditto for units eight through ten._ "

" _This kind of stuff happens when you take off without warming up, first._ " Makina said through the comm before an alarm came on. " _Huh, excess energy at block E-17_?"

" _I've got a bad feeling about this,_ " Reina muttered out in Kaname's ear as the mentioned area's nearby pipeline began to emit electricity at an uncontrolled rate before exploding. The blast resulted in a form of alarms going off around the island ship, scaring the people more as Kaname and the White Rose pilot looked over to the horizon where it could have come from. Looking at the older Rose, the tactical sound unit leader took off as Summer got back to calming the civilians down while Hayate, Mirage and Freyja grabbed their repair kits.

"A-Are we okay," the young Windermerean asked out of worry.

"Freyja, get to the surface," she heard Mirage give the order, making her look back at the two pilots as the maroon haired girl continued. "We'll go investigate the blocks ahead."

"Roger," Hayate acknowledge as wind began to go passed him, freaking him out along with the others before he saw the young singer suddenly get lifted off the ground. Connecting the dots, he realized that the area's gravitational control system had malfunctioned, forcing him to try to jump towards Freyja. Believing that he's getting closer to her, he called out her name as she turned to face him, only for one of the nearby blast doors to suddenly close him off from her.

Back on the _Elysion_ 's bridge, the alarms coming from Island Jackpot consistently worried the bridge operators as Ernest kept his gaze on the provided visuals. Going over the information provided, not only was there excess energy from block E-17, but the resulting damage created a hull breach sucking the air out of the colony ship. Narrowing his eyes, he immediately thought out a plan as he stood up to address Chaos' engineers.

"SEAL IT OFF QUICKLY," he ordered out, pushing his arm out in front. "Check how much air we have left. Prioritize supplying power to the life support systems."

"Captain, the main reactor's output is down to twenty-one percent," Nina announced to the Zentradi caption.

"The temperature of the island ship is down to sixteen degrees Celcius," Beth added on to the report, making the large man frown as the visuals switched over to Makina and Reina.

" _Captain_ ," the pink haired girl spoke up getting his attention. " _I know this is getting ahead of schedule…_ "

" _…but we should get on with the thing now_ ," Reina finished for her.

"Are you ready," the captain asked them, getting a smile from the two singers.

" _Rei-Rei's already fixed the software_ ," Makina assured him, getting a thumb up from her partner before continuing. " _Once the current repairs are complete, we're good to go_."

" _Trouble in the rubble, Makina_ ," Harry suddenly popped up on the comms. " _To get this moving, we'd need to connect the cables in E-17._ "

" _But… that's where the explosion was earlier_."

" _We'll go_ ," Hayate popped in on the comms, showing a determined look while surprising the girls. " _We're near E-17, so connecting a cable should be easy enough._ "

" _We're counting on you. Thanks, Haya-Haya._ " His visual went offline before the girls looked back at the captain with their own determined looks. " _As for us, we've got…_ "

" _…work to do too_ ," Reina finished for Makina again as they formed a W with their hands, shutting off their comms with Ernest and making him smirk.

"Even desperate times…" he started out under his breath, looking back at the progress on the monitors. "…can make many others work together towards a common goal." He then looked over to the bridge operators. "Keep up with the reports. I want to stay on top of this."

Back on board the Island ship, the young Freyja ran out of the service tunnels after what had happened back there. She was lucky to have her foot caught on one of the many bars despite the area having zero gravity, and she was able to save the two mercats that were near her. Looking back, she began to worry about her two friends that she believed she left behind, not knowing of what they are going to do.

She then heard the sound of crying coming from a child, making her look at the refugees looking all worried about the situation. Children were scared due to how dark the Island ship has become, couples holding each other in their embrace and many others muttering about how they should have stayed in Ragna. In her mind, she was worried as well, but she had a duty to perform as both a member of Chaos and as a singer of Walkure.

Her thoughts then went away as the familiar sound of the song **Neo Stream** began to play out to the people, shaking her head and looking up to see four buildings emitting a faint light before revealing the singers of the sound unit. Along with her, the refugees looked over to see the girls adorning their iconic stage uniforms as they basked in the light, with Mikumo taking the spotlight as she started to sing out the lyrics to the public. Smiling, the young Windermerean nodded to herself before heading to her own spotlight as the others began to follow up on the song.

As Walkure sang out to ease the people crowded in the island ship's powerless city, the area of E-17 remained empty as Hayate and Mirage glided over to the disconnected cables, using the zero gravity to their advantage. The song echoed out over to them as they saw the extent of the situation, making the young man think about what he can do to fix the damage. He then steeled himself to fix the cables, shedding off his Delta jacket to prevent his body from overheating on the job.

"Can we really fix this," Mirage asked him as she caught up to him, seeing his arm somewhat out of the sleeve.

"We'll manage," he simply told her as the jacket came off before continuing his route to the cable.

"Manage, he says…" She began to do the same thing by unzipping her own, only to blush as all she had on underneath was her bra before shouting out, freeing her torso of the leather.

"Will you hurry up?"

"I'm coming," she shouted out as she tossed the jacket aside to the zero gravity, gliding over to him as they got near the cables. She then blushed further as her removed his sweater as well as his footwear, leaving him in just the pair of long sleeved shorts before placing his feet on the cold metal. He then motioned her to remove her own footwear as well, knowing how dangerous the situation could be for them as she glided over to him. Their sights were set on their prize as Walkure continued to perform, with the young man looking for and spotting a hatch.

" _Have you fixed the pipelines yet,_ " he heard Makina on the open comms as he spotted a cable to connect to the main pipe.

" _Just a little more, just hold on_ ," Harry's voice followed the pink haired singer's while the young man worked on his side of the repairs. Looking up out to the sky provided by the coldness of space, he believes that while Ruby and the girls were still out on Recon, both Arad and Chuck were working harder on their side of the preparations. Smiling, he connected the pipeline to the one side of the severed cables, making a mental checklist of what needed to be done.

"The backup power line connects here…" he muttered out under his breath as Mirage came to him, seeing him working hard.

"You know how this works," she asked him as he typed away before grabbing the hatch.

"I've done my fair share of odd jobs in the past."

"So when the platoon fires you, you would be fine."

"You make it sound like it's going to happen," he laughed at her joke before closing the hatch, looking over to other side. "That should about do it over here."

"Anything I can help with?"

"We just need to open the emergency valve on the other side," he answered her before leaping off the hatch, making his way over to the other side of the cable. Hearing his senior officer calling to wait for her, he laid his sights on the mentioned valve on the circuit, gliding over to it before grabbing hold of it. Placing his feet on the cold, metal surface, he breathed in and out before pushing the valve to the right, only for it to remain stuck and his feet losing grip and slipping off the cable.

"Dammit, I don't have the right grip."

"Here, let me hold you down," Mirage called out as she reached him, mounting her feet into the handles on the cable itself before gripping his feet and pushing them down to the surface. He was thankful for her help as he began to try again with the valve; however it proved difficult as it won't budge from its current position. Struggling, he began to put more pressure onto it, but as he did, the 1st lt.'s grip started to waver. Add in the zero gravity in the block, he couldn't afford to fail the job.

As he worked on his side of the repairs along with Mirage while Walkure performed to ease the minds of the refugees, it would have seemed that the situation was improving on Chaos' part. However, another explosion occurred on the dome of the Island ship, sending alarms to the _Elysion_ , Arad and Chuck as well as the recon flight performed by what's left of RWBY, causing the three girls to fly their _Siegfrieds_ back towards the refugee fleet. The blast left behind a hole on the dome, causing the air and dislodged vehicles and nature to be ejected out into the cold embrace. Realising the danger, Mikumo and Walkure pressured themselves to continue singing out, knowing that their captain would have a solution.

"Island ship block eighteen breached," the bridge operators announced to Ernest on the Macross' bridge. "Emergency repair systems not functional. Captain, the island ship is going to run out of air."

"We've got no choice," he muttered out before announcing his orders. "Macross _Elysion_ , commence emergency docking."

As the order was given out to everyone on board, the Macross began to reverse itself, letting the Island ship move passed it as the situation became dire for the people. The ship contacted both Walkure and the Delta platoon of the change in plans, informing them that they were to commence emergency docking ahead of the schedule. The only ones that didn't hear the announcement was the pilots working on the cable situation as Hayate struggled to keep his footing, even with Mirage's help.

Their rambling was heard after the announcement from the _Elysion_ , earning the attention of Freyja who kept her hand near her ear. Due to the static coming from the comm, their voices were usually cut in between, causing the young Windermerean's rune to rapidly glow pink to the situation. Both Makina and Reina could hear the situation as well, only to comment that they don't want to know what's going on before continuing the song as Freyja began to freak out.

"Freyja, focus on the song," Kaname ordered out as she continued to sing, snapping the young girl out of it.

"Uh, right," she acknowledged as she sang out her part of the song, keeping her mind off of Hayate and Mirage as the two pilots continued their struggle with the valve. Despite Mirage's attempts of holding the young man down to the pipe, whenever he puts pressure on turning, she loses her grip and his feet lift out to the zero gravity air. His face was contorted with frustration as he laid his eyes on the maroon haired woman.

"I told you to hold me," he spoke out in irritation before seeing the sight of the Macross transforming. "The _Elysion_?"

"They must be docking ahead of time…" his partner muttered in awe before steeling herself. "We'd better not waste any more of that…"

The young man could only agree as Mirage reached out to take hold of his ankles, bringing them back on to the cable. Even as Hayate struggled to even budge the valve, he figured that he wasn't going to get any progress done if his fellow pilot only held him down by the ankles. A thought then came up inside his head, prompting him to look back at Mirage while keeping his hands on the valve.

"Mirage, hold me down from closer," he called out to her, not noticing her face adopting a blush. "Hurry up!"

"Fine," She shouted out, embarrassed over the situation as she glides over to him, locking her feet closer and wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Hold tighter!"

"A-Alright…"

Putting pressure onto his body to secure his grip onto the cable and retry budging the valve, Mirage couldn't help but blush in embarrassment as her breasts squeezed on his back. Unaware of how she was feeling, Hayate mentally smirked as his grip on the cable was secured thanks to the 1st Lt. and focused all of his strength onto the valve. However, because of her keeping him in place, she began to pant due to the situation before glaring at him.

"Just a little more," she started out, the blush on her face still visible. "Didn't you learn anything back on Ragna?"

"SHUT UP! I KNOW," he shouted back at her before putting more force on the valve. "I'll do whatever it takes… to take back our sky."

With that being said, the pressure he has been applying to the valve began to show results as it started to turn, surprising him before applying more strength to it. As he did his work with Mirage, both Chuck and Arad had already finished their side of the repairs before moving aside for the _Elysion_ to move in. The young man continued to turn the valve until a click was heard, followed by the sound of controlled electricity and making the two pilots look over to see the cable moving back into place.

"Island Jackpot, power lines connected," one of the _Elysion_ bridge operators announced over to Ernest as the latest reports came in. "Emergency docking system is operational."

"Alright," the Zentradi muttered with a smile. "Macross _Elysion_!Dock!"

As the order was given out, the fortress hovers closer to the docking bay of the Island ship, intent on connecting the two together. As it did, the three VF-31 _Siegfrieds_ piloted by Ruby and her team arrived in time to see the extent of the situation, with only Yang complaining about how they 'missed out on the fun.' When the Macross got close enough, a stream of electricity began to connect the two, causing the _Elysion_ to dock to the colony ship without incident.

The result of the merge came with the restoration of Island Jackpot's systems, allowing the automated repair systems fix the hole in the hole and preventing any more air from being sucked out. With that being done, the dome eventually returned to activating the artificial daylight sky for the people, causing the civilians to cheer out to Walkure for keeping them calm. Along with that, the area of Block E-17 was eventually reopened to the rest as the gravity systems kicked back in, shocking Hayate and Mirage as they are now holding onto the valve with their lives.

"Aww, we missed it," Yang complained as her Valkyrie got close to Chuck's. "Why did we have to miss it?"

"Better luck next time, Yang," the Ragnan tried to cheer her up.

"Good job, everyone," they heard Arad on the comm as he broadcasted to Delta and Walkure. "We've just got a call. We found new sponsors."

"Lady M. talked with some of the mining corporations in the globular cluster," Ernest took over for the Delta commander. "We have a new mission: Reclaim the cluster." Both Yang and Chuck cheered out as they heard the Zentradi continued. "But before we do, she specifically told us that we are to have a solid ground for operations, giving us the coordinates of a planet on the cluster's edge."

"Wait, you don't mean…" Ruby muttered to herself, knowing what Ernest was saying.

"Everyone… We're going to Remnant… the only planet free of Windermerean influence."

"Ehh, so we're going to Ruby's home," Freyja whispered to herself, wanting to know what the planet's atmosphere looks like.

"HEY, COULD SOMEONE PLEASE GET US DOWN FROM HERE," a visual of Mirage and Hayate came up as the former shouted out in fear, hanging onto the young man by the waist as he kept hold on the valve.

"Don't move," he said to her in the visual. "It's dangerous."

"Just focus on not letting go…"

"Yeah, I really don't want to know," Reina muttered out with a smile.

"Come on, you too, get a room," Yang commented as she saw the visual on her screen.

"Haya-Haya! Mira-Mira! Good job," Makina spoke to the two pilots through one of the sensors as it got close to them, making the two pilots look at it. Due to the situation they were in, Mirage couldn't help but be embarrassed as her face became completely red. The last thing the pilots and the singers remembered from that day was the loud scream coming from the Genius pilot as the fleet had set a course to their next destination.

* * *

As the _Sigur Valens_ began to embark on the journey back to Windermere, the chancellor had finished his talks with the remaining member of the royal family on board the Protoculture warship. Lloyd couldn't help but think of the circumstances that they were in now that both Gramia was killed and the White Knight pilot under intense care. He had to give it to the two pilots that took down Keith's Draken in the battle: they had given the element of surprise, even if they had their runes to depict incoming danger.

Now knowing that Prince Heinz has decided to take the throne in his father's place, the Windermerean had sworn to assist in the young child's endeavors. However, the threat of Walkure and their Delta Platoon guardians was still visible to his people, and he had a vague idea as to where they, along with the Ragnan refugee fleet, would go. Going over the data on the Brisingr Globular Cluster, he had taken note of a planet that was on the very edge, placing it close, but not inside the Starwind Sector.

Taking a look beside him, Lloyd can already make out that Gale was prepared in advance for an attack, holding her helmet close to her arms as they entered the vehicle bay of the _Sigur Valens_. Spotting the Aerial Knights under Keith's command, he made his way over to them with the female Windermerean in tow, intent on informing them on their next objective. Both of the Knights, Bogue and Herman, spotted the two figures approaching them, saluting them with the rest following the motion.

"At ease," Lloyd commanded them, seeing them relax. "I'm sure you're all familiar with the situation we're in?"

"Indeed," the elder Windermerean nodded, having a clear idea as to what he meant.

"How's Lord Keith," Bogue asked out to the chancellor, more worried about the White Knight than the situation. "Is he…?"

"He will be fine, I assure you," Lloyd answered him, seeing the redhead ease himself before continuing. "However, he has sustained significant damage during the battle to liberate Ragna. As it stands, he will need to continue resting if he were to regain his strength." He then saw their worried looks on their faces. "I understand your loyalty, but rest assured. Keith Aero Windermere will pull through."

"Then who will lead us in battle till he returns to us?"

"That is where Gale will come in." He then allowed the mentioned female walk closer to them. "I know you have your… questions, but keep in mind that, as well as Keith, she has exceptional skills in the SV-262 Draken, and she was once promised the title of the White Knight."

"She could have been the White Knight," Qasim muttered out in awe.

"If it weren't for the Earthling's experiments many years ago, then yes she would have."

"I don't get it," Bogue muttered out in anger. "Why would you choose now to announce Lord Keith's replacement? Are we not good enough to lead until he's back?"

"Because unlike you, she has exceptional flying skills that surpass even yours," he shut him up with that statement, holding his files. "Now, in terms of our enemies, I have an idea as to where they will go: A planet at the edge of the cluster, free from the Starwind Sector. You will have two objectives." He then walked over to Herman. "You are to assess Gale's abilities yourselves, and if the planet has an N.U.N.S. or any military force present… Destroy them."

"Why even bother," the redhead muttered out again. "Can't we just have the Song of the Wind take them over?"

"Prince Heinz is still recovering himself, due to the strain inflicted on his body." He then backed away as Gale joined up with them. "Remember, the pride of Windermere is riding on your backs. Go forth… and spread your wings."

" **FOR THE GLORY OF THE GREAT WIND!** "

The Aerial Knights began to make their way over to their respective Drakens, with Gale going towards her crimson colored unit. Nodding to himself, the Windermerean chancellor began to make his way out of the armory as the Windermerean force got ready for their next assignment. Looking over the files, he was pleased to know that he has another possible planet to take control of, ensuring Windermere's foothold on the globular cluster. Holding up his own datapad, he intends to observe Gale's progress before swiping it to the side, revealing a small reading of Var in her system. Nodding to himself, he continues to make his way over to the control room with a faint smirk, knowing his plans are going through as he expected.

 **A/N: And so ends Arc II of Macross RWBY: Delta, and everything is converging towards Remnant. How will this impact the residents of the planet?**

 **I seriously need to get back to the swing of typing chapters again, and thank god Volume 5 had started. If anyone asks me if I'm going to follow Volume 4, then that would be a direct no. It has been set as a Macross AU since it started at the end of Volume three, though Volume 4 has since given me a few ideas to play around with for the members of Chaos, and the Delta Platoon. I honestly don't know how the third arc's length will be, but I can safely say that it will be a small number of chapters like Arc I. As for the events for Arc IV, for scenes where the teams were on the Island ship, will instead be on Remnant but the dialogues remain the same. Regardless, I will do my best to keep chapters coming.**

 **Also, off topic here: Should I keep working on the Dead Rising idea that has two chapters, or just drop it and focus on this?**

 **Review Replies:**

 **Alexwu704:** _ **Now, I wonder where they are going right now**_

 **They're going to Remnant, and Windermere isn't far behind.**

 **Marcus the Kane:** _ **bzzzttt...**_

 _ **Marcus: Now this is a nice chapter! The action was great and the... wait a minute! This isn't the Dimensional Heroes reviews section!?**_

 _ **Eddy: It's the Macross RWBY: Delta reviews section, bro.**_

 _ **Marcus: Oh right... anyway, we really love the new chapter! And Summer Rose's finally revealing herself to Ruby was fantastic!**_

 _ **Eddy: Looking forward for more!**_

 _ **Bzzzttt...**_

 **Wait, there's two people on this account? Or am I going loco? And I always have this urge to include Summer in my fics in some way or form. I wonder how the members of team STRQ will react. *wiggles eyebrows***

 **Yuiharime:** _ **Good chapter! Even though Ruby will never be shipped with Hayate, I still find them compatible to each other. They even think alike in this chapter, and I like it.**_

 **Nothing wrong with finding them compatible, my good friend. Though, I do have to be curious as to how many people's head canons can be like. Some can be mild and others can be… quite extreme.**

 **Tendaysromeo:** _ **Nice chapter! I love the part where Hayate and Ruby uses Messer and Blake's planes. That was really cool!**_

 **Thanks for saying that. I had always planned it since I started working on this story and sharing ideas with my coworkers. Even though they don't actually read it due to busy lives, that doesn't stop them from helping me whenever.**

 **Duel:** _ **Well, that was unneeded of me; it's just that the mental image of that mod was overloading my brain as it ran the simulations on the forming. But since you've already written the story in advance (as you've already stated before), I will keep to only pointing out story inconsistencies.**_

 _ **For one: technically, as Ruby is already the leader of Delta Squadron's 2nd team, her call sign wouldn't need changing, as making her Delta-04 means that she's no longer team 2's leader, and will be directly under Arad, as opposed to being fellow leaders.**_

 **Its fine. Don't worry about it. And I wouldn't say 'written in advance' since whenever I finish a chapter and publish it on the site, I start working on the next chapter. And that takes time depending on laptop availability (I swear, my mom uses my laptop a lot for her facebook games and now books), focus on video games and whether I'm tired from a long night from work.**

 **And you're right about that, Ruby isn't team 2's leader anymore. But when I look at it, even though Team 2 is its own thing, they are still a part of the Delta Platoon, meaning that Arad can still command them whenever he would have an opportunity. And let's not forget that Ruby's still a higher rank than Weiss and Yang. It just means that Hayate has to get used to following any possible order from her.**

 **XY Kid:** _ **A passionate diving indeed! Wonderful chapter, I wonder when they are going to Remnant.**_

 **After this chapter man. After this chapter.**

 **Wee-0wee-0:** _ **Great chapter. This episode is one of the best but for some reason, I can't seem to like it… probably because of the Windermereans again.**_

 **Man, you really don't like them because of what Keith did in earlier chapters, don't you?**

 **Duel:** _ **Follow up post re-read.  
As to my previous statement, on me running pattern formations, it's something like this: as I like to visualize what I read mentally, I tend to end up visualizing what a person's take on a mech design would turn out. Even the horribly bad ones *shudders*.**_

 _ **Now, I said that I wouldn't nitpick TOO much about this, but: there's a reason VFs don't use shotguns, and that's because of space combat, and also how inefficient a mech-sized shotgun would be in zero-g combat, which is why even the destroids use high-ROF gunpods. For yang's VF, I can see it still have the underhand gunpods, but the arms themselves have been modified into impact knuckles(something like the Alteisen's revolver stake, or the impact arms on Zengar's custom Guarlion in "SRW OG: Divine War. Record of ATX".)**_  
 _ **Ruby's is a modified VF-31 rifle, with the usual barrel section replaced with a "Crescent moon" like section. And since those are beam rifles, the cutting power of the scythe's blade is enhanced by a PPB field, instead of using the recoil of the shots like the regular sized version.**_  
 _ **Blake's wings are more modified PPB blades installed onto specially modified wings, and can detach from said wings to attach onto a "Gambol Shroud" like handle(most likely replacing the PPB daggers hidden in the arm plates.). No sword whips, though, as practicality is once again an issue (IN SPACE!~)**_  
 _ **Weiss'...I dunno, maybe something like the Crossbone X3's "Muramasa Blaster"(?), replacing the standard VF-31's rifle.**_

 _ **That's how *I* see it, anyway. You don't really have to follow the idea, your ideas work just the way they are, and I'm just here for the story, not to force ideas onto others, nor to judge the decisions of the writer.**_

 _ **With the way things are playing out, I'm kinda looking forward to Arc 3 of this story! And I do hope that, for the sake of Ruby's mental health, that they leave before "you know what" happens. And I can just imagine the "squee" looks on their face if they manage to make it back for Freyja's birthday.**_

 **It would depend on how practical someone can make the mods work.**

 **While you do have some pretty good Ideas for Valkyrie mods, I'm perfectly fine with how mine works for now. Though in terms of Weiss', Her PPB Rapier add on for her VF-31 sometimes be used in the battles against Windermere, though in most cases, Windermere will adapt to her way of fighting and find a way to counter her.**

 **And what do you mean by 'you know what?' I'm somewhat confused there. Unless my brain wakes up, I'll be trying to figure that out.**

 **(2)** _ **Minor typo below**_

 _ **Meant to type "Crescent ROSE," but my brain told me MOOM. Not surprising, as I typed that at 2 A.M., and my brain was half asleep.**_

 **Sometimes, I stay up until 2 A.M. Is it bad for us to be waiting that long? I should know that.**

 **I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. What do you think? Leave a Favorite, Follow and Review.**

 **With that out of the way, I'm BlazefireDrago, signing out.**

 **P.S.: At the beginning of August, I was able to meet Kara Eberle over at Otakuthon in Montreal this year. I, uh… also managed to surprise her by pitching my voice to sound like Ruby in both panels she was on. Is it weird for a (then) twenty-one year old man to actually sound like a 15 year old girl from a web series?**


	19. Unwelcome Home

**Disclaimer: RWBY is owned by Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth Productions, while Macross is owned by Shoji Kawamori and Studio Satelight**

* * *

" _It has been months since that day. Mistral had suffered an attack unlike any other in the many years of Man's existence… While we have no idea as to what caused the attack, it has made the Huntsmen stationed in the Kingdom to become mindless monsters, killing the people they were supposed to protect. While the media informed the world that it was a Grimm virus launched by the White Fang, it doesn't explain how machines of unknown origin popped up from underground._

" _So far, we have managed to salvage what was left of the machines that tore into the Kingdom. Thankfully, Leonardo Lionheart, the headmaster of Haven, has organized relief efforts for those affected by the tragedy, allowing us to bring the wrecked machines over our borders in Atlas. These beasts, these… VF-171_ Nightmares _as they are called are quite an enigma, having the capabilities to change forms just like the huntsman weapons I have seen. What I don't understand is how they were made and, if possible, were made by humans of our past?_

" _Another problem we have in our hands is the lack of Grimm over the course of these months. For some strange reason, on the same day Mistral was devastated by the crazed Huntsman, the creatures of darkness suddenly disappeared without a trace. I've had our men scour the kingdoms' borders to search the more prominent Grimm nests, and they reported them to be devoid of anything. Even the ruins of Beacon Academy, the sight where the Wyvern remains frozen and drawing them in, was completely empty, making me wonder if their disappearance and the attack had something similar to trigger it._ "

Time had not been kind to General James Ironwood since the day he arrived in Mistral to assess the damage. The enigma that was the VF-171 Valkyries under Atlesian custody continues to mind boggle both him and the engineers stripping them apart due to how complex the machines' development went. Not only that, but Jacques Schnee, the CEO of the SDC, has been pressuring him to locate Weiss, who disappeared that day while making business deals 'in his way.'

Due to the ongoing pressure going through his life now, the General's face has shown to have a more tired look as bags were visible on his eyes while a five o-clock shadow covered his jawline. His military cut, while kept clean in the past, has gotten slightly messier due to his duties as both headmaster and general of Atlas. His uniform was swapped out with another to get with the changing times as he made his way over to the observation deck of the base, keeping his thoughts on the day of the attack.

" _To this day, we don't know what had caused the Huntsmen in the Kingdom to go berserk on the people, but I don't understand the appearance of those singers. Why did they appear with the Sky Fighters? And more importantly, why did the Sky Fighters have those same capablilities as the fighters we're now studying of changing forms. More importantly, where did they even come from? Vacuo?_ " He then sighed as he entered Observations, seeing the soldiers saluting him before going back to work as his thoughts lingered. " _Regardless, they did save the people. But I need to know for sure if they are our allies._ "

"Welcome back, sir," one of the soldiers under his command spoke up to the general, shaking him out of his thoughts. "Are you still thinking about that day, sir?"

"More than you know," he addressed the man, placing his hands behind his back. "What are our current updates so far?"

"Well, more than half of our survey teams reported back after reaching many of the Grimm dens. Like the teams before them, they have reported that there wasn't a single Grimm in sight. Not even a common Beowolf popped out to challenge our men."

"Not a single Grimm in sight?" The general then pondered for a moment, placing his hand on his chin. "In a normal situation, no Grimm would have meant a time for celebration. However, it has been months since they dropped off the map, and we still haven't figured out what caused them to disappear."

"Would you like us to look into it—"

"No, that would only draw suspicion towards us," Ironwood quickly shut him down, sighing heavily. "Anything else?"

"We still haven't found any details as to where Miss Schnee went, sir," the soldier announced. "It's more than likely that she was kidnapped in the chaos, though where she is now is still an unknown sir."

"Leave it to your incompetent men to look for my daughter, James," they turned around to see Jacques by the entranceway with a scorn look on his face. "I have specifically told you that my daughter is of high importance, General. Yet, you're wasting time looking into why those beasts have disappeared instead of finding the SDC's heiress. Care to explain why?"

"Weiss Schnee's disappearance is in sync with that of the Grimm, Jacques. If we know the reasons why, we can mobilize on to her rescue." He then got into the CEO's face. "Or do you not care about her safety at all? Do you only care about your company's image to the point where family doesn't matter at all to you?"

"By whatever do you mean?" Jacques nonchalantly moved passed him, placing his hands on the rails. "I _Care_ deeply for my daughter's safety. I mean, her disappearance resulted in the charity even being cancelled, correct? Because of that, I _worry_ that she may be lost forever."

"So you do care about image after all," Ironwood figured out, glaring at the man. "Regardless, the investigation is still ongoing. Now, if you excuse me, I have operations that needs to be—"

Alarms began to blare out all around Observations, making the two men gaze at the soldiers now working frantically on the consoles. Neither of them had anticipated this to happen, making James wonder if the Creatures of Grimm have returned in full force. However, one of the men under his command looked over his reports before looking back at the general.

"General, we're detecting a large body of activity between the continents of Sanus and Anima," he announced to the two men. "It appears big, sir."

"What sort of activity, soldier," he shouted out to the man, curious as to what the soldier meant.

"Huge. It just… suddenly appeared there, sir. I recommend immediate response and assess what this activity is."

Ironwood then thought about the situation, addressing the others. "Which of our fleets is closest to it? Under whose command?"

"That would be the _Glacier Point_ advance fleets, sir, under the command of Captain Schnee."

"Winter… Send them over to assess the situation and have them report back." He received an affirmative from the operator before addressing another. "If one of our drones is still active near the vicinity, have it transmit a visual. I want to know what it is we're dealing with."

The soldier acknowledged the order he was given before typing away on the console, taking him a few to bring up what Ironwood has requested. On point when he brought it up, him, as well as the CEO and the soldiers present in the room stared in complete shock as they were shown the visual of a fleet descending from orbit, with what appears to be a giant robot behind a domed ship. The general was wide eyed over the sight of what he was being shown, gulping before muttering out what everyone was thinking.

"What the hell is that?"

* * *

"Re-entry phase complete. Captain, we are now in Remnant Airspace."

After an eventful trip starting from Ragna, the refugee fleet under the command of Ernest Johnson had reached the world of Remnant. To say the trip to the Windermere-free planet would have been an understatement to the members of Chaos, considering the left the ocean world after a long battle against the sovereign nation as well as maintaining the repairs of Island Jackpot. Regardless, the fleet composed of both Chaos Ragna and any N.U.N.S. forces loyal to the Zentradi captain reached the planet with no further issues.

As the fleet descended further down, the captain of the combined forces watched in front of him with Weiss Schnee by his side, standing in attention beside him through the duration of the trip. He had personally requested her to accompany him due to her knowledge of Remnant's military power that is the Kingdom of Atlas, wanting to know what sort of military strength they might possess. He looked over to where Nina's station was, nodding to her in thanks for the update.

"Alright, maintain altitude speed," the Zentradi ordered out. "Inform us if the situation has changed."

"Roger," she acknowledged the order before going back to work, shifting Ernest's focus on Weiss.

"It's been so long since I was back home, captain," the ice themed girl commented as the sight of the ocean greets her eyes. "I never got to appreciate the beauty that Remnant had to offer."

"This sort of thing can be said about our homes in the time we're gone, Weiss," he replied back to her, blinking his eyes before addressing her again. "However, no matter how long it takes us, a small part of us yearns for us to return home."

"Of course." She then sighed before regaining her posture, looking at the Zentradi captain. "Is there anything you like from me, sir?"

"Just information and advice for now." He then brought up a map on the screen in front of them. "I need to know what we're getting ourselves into, and out of the natives in our forces, you're the most qualified to provide the information." He then looked into her eyes as he continued. "Ruby and Yang would be too busy hoping to reconnect with their families on this planet as well as arming their fighters, and Summer herself has been off world to take part in the Vajra war years ago and remained off world ever since."

The Chaos specialist could only nod before addressing him. "I understand completely, and I'll do what I can to provide assistance."

"First, I would like to know what sort of enemy we're going to face if we're to stay on Remnant. What would that enemy be?"

"Well, considering it's been months since Ruby, Yang and I left to join the Delta Platoon, I would suspect that the main enemy we'll probably face would be the Grimm. If not…" she then thought about it before continuing. "…then I'd take a guess that Atlas would try to look into the fleet's capabilities. In terms of strength, they may have the numerical advantage, but we would have the advantage in aerial dogfight experience."

"And their technology… do they possess Valkyries and Destroids?"

"I think they would be looking into the Valkyrie wreckage from the attack on Mistral, but other than that, no. Their fighters don't have the capabilities the VF-31s or the VF-171s are capable of. Not only that, but the Atlesian Paladins aren't Destroid sized to be considered a dangerous."

"I see." He then placed his gaze on the map in front of him. "Any other Kingdoms here have a military presence?"

"Negative, captain." Weiss then brought out the scroll she has forgotten about, opening it and reading off what she knows. "As far as anyone, the only other military unit on Remnant would have to be the extremists that are the White Fang, when they had changed leadership from one person to the next. Aside from them, the Kingdoms only have a contingent of able Huntsmen and Huntresses to guard their borders."

"So aside from the White Fang, Atlas is the only military power present on Remnant. Only god knows what would happen if Windermere had shown up."

"They would be completely devastated, sir."

"Captain," Mizuki called out in haste. "We're detecting a sizable fleet approaching us and fast."

"Already," he muttered out in surprise before the visual changed from the map of Remnant to the mentioned fleet, showing a group of seven Atlesian flagships and a large escort of fighters. "I guess they're not willing to negotiate immediately."

"Additional information coming from Reina's observations," Beth called out as she brought out the information. "The fleet also seemed to be outfitted with a platoon of the Paladins Weiss told us about."

"They're going all out," the specialist muttered out before looking at Nina. "Can you figure out what force they are?"

"Looking into it—" an alarm came on in the _Elysion_ bridge, showing her what was happening. "Sir… We're getting a message from the fleet's command ship."

"I have a bad feeling about this."

"Agreed," Ernest nodded at Weiss before steeling himself. "Put it through."

"Roger," the operator typed in the commands before playing the message, shocking Weiss with the voice on the other side.

" _Attention unidentified fleet, you are trespassing the airspace between the kingdoms of Vale and Mistral_ ," a familiar voice to the heiress/pilot played out. " _Return to where you have come from. If you do not comply, then we will use deadly force if necessary._ "

"That's Winter's voice," Weiss muttered out in shock, placing her hand over her mouth. "If she's here, then… the fleet we're facing is _Glacier Point_."

" _Glacier Point_ ," the captain asked her, getting a nod in response.

"That's right. _Glacier Point_ is a fleet comprised of Atlas' elite forces, made under General Ironwood's orders. If they're here…"

"Then a fight against them is unavoidable." He then glanced at her. "Weiss, rendezvous with the Delta Platoon and get ready to sortie. If Atlas believes they can take us on by sending their elite…" He then smirked as he finished his thoughts. "…then they have another thing coming."

"Sir," was all she needed to say before turning around, making her way out of the bridge to reunite with her squadron. The girls manning the consoles looked at her leaving form in worry, realizing that the upcoming battle is one waged between sisters. However, they shook out their own thoughts as they returned to work, providing tactical data over to their captain as the Schnee rushed over to where the Delta Platoon was.

While they prepared themselves for an unavoidable fight, the Atlesian fleet _Glacier Point_ continued its course towards the Ragnan refugee fleet with the intent of taking the unknown out. Thousands of fighters fly passed the carriers as some of the Paladins mounted themselves on the exterior, keeping their weapons primed and ready to fire. As they got closer towards them, the pilots and personnel manning the machinery couldn't help but watch in aww over the size of the _Elysion._

One of the Atlesian carriers of the _Glacier Point_ advance fleet lead the charge towards the fleet, and the crew worked overtime to provide any updates on the mission. One of the passengers on board, a woman adorning the Specialist's uniform with a sabre by her hip, kept her ice cold eyes on the Ragnan fleet, observing it to spot any weaknesses. In one of her hands was a pocket watch she had obtained, flicking it open and close due to her waiting for news about her sister's fate.

"Captain, we're getting closer to the unknown fleet," one of her operators called out to her. "Do you think they received the message by now?"

"They should have," she simply told them, flicking the watch closed. "No one would be foolish enough to ignore a message as mine. Best case scenario, they will listen to it well and return to where they came from."

"And if they don't?"

"Then they'd better pray to Dust for a quick and painless loss." She then pocketed the watch before walking to the side. "General Ironwood has hand selected _Glacier Point_ out of all our best. Soldiers, navigators and pilots that make up this advance fleet were renowned as veterans in their fields. It's wise to gather them up to make up one of the many forces Atlas has to offer."

"Understood, ma'am. It's just… it seems more like overkill at this point—"

"Do not question the general's decision." She then sighed as she looked at the fleet in front of her. "We have our orders. Hopefully, they'd take my message seriously—" Her train of thought was interrupted as alarms blared to life around her, making her look at the soldier with a steel glare. "Report."

"Ma'am… the unknowns… they're preparing to launch fighters of their own," another operator announced to her, making her look at it in bewilderment.

"How many?"

"Checking…" He then wide eyed under his visor before reporting again. "Ma'am… they're crazy… they're about to launch eight fighters."

"Eight fighters?" Winter's eyes then glared over the information. "Do they take us as nothing but fools?"

"Ma'am, we're also getting more information. It seems a dome is rising at that giant… thing."

Winter could only glare at the sight of the Ragnan refugee fleet as the information began to sink in her head, deciding to stand in attention as the Atlesian fighters surrounding her fleet moved ahead. As they did, both the Delta Platoon and Walkure were prepared to go into battle with Atlas' finest to see who would rule the skies. Thanks to the information provided by Weiss, Arad had already given an order to disarm and disable the fighters, getting an affirmative from the others. Weiss was relaxing her nerves as her hands clutched the controls of her VF-31 _Siegfried_ , keeping her eyes in front to the sight of _Glacier Point_ 's fighters getting closer to her.

Looking back, she can already tell that the singers of the tactical sound unit were ready to assist the platoon with their song of their choice. Knowing that this is a battle she can't back out of, she mentally nodded to Walkure for their help throughout her time in Chaos, grateful to call them her friends. Steeling herself, she looked back in front of her as her fingers clutched the Valkyrie controls, getting the feel of the machine that has served her in the battles against Windermere.

"Ahh, so those are the Atlesian fighters that make up Atlas' forces," Makina commented as she looked at them through her glasses before lifting them up, revealing a deadpanned look. "This is a first from me, but those things are ugly."

"Wow, in all my time as a pilot, I'd never thought I'd hear Makina call something 'ugly,'" Yang commented as she stretched her arm before grabbing the controls. "I'd thought she would go off about how 'cute' they are."

"They are pretty weak, now that I'm looking at them," Ruby spoke out before setting her gazes. "I'd doubt they have experience against other pilots, only Grimm."

"Listen up, Delta," Arad's voice was heard on the comm. "Unlike our previous engagements; our enemies are neither Var nor Windermerean forces. My orders still stand: Disarm and disable their fighters by targeting their thrusters and/or weapons systems. Remember, the opposing forces know what they are doing, and will ensure we don't push through."

"Roger," they all acknowledged the order before grasping their controls, leaving the senior officer to smirk as the Valkyrie's thrusters burst to life.

"Delta Platoon… Engage."

With the order given, the VF-31 _Siegfrieds_ and VF-25 _Messiah_ launched off the _Aether_ launch bays as the familiar sound of the song **Walkure Attack** began to play out to the horizon, flying off towards the approaching Atlesian forces. The sound of the music began to confuse the pilots under Winter's command, making them wonder why a song would play as a battle is about to start. However, the sight of the Valkyries approaching them shook them out of their thoughts, causing their fireteams to scramble and target the fighters.

Four of the Atlesian fighters took sight of Chuck's VF-31 coming towards them, causing the pilots to smirk as they approached their newfound 'prey' and lined up their sights. Targeting the _Siegfried_ 's cockpit, they began to open fire on the plane, only to watch in bewilderment as the Ragnan maneuvered around their hail of bullets before firing back, damaging and destroying the wings on the fighters. The Ragnan cheered out in joy as the fighters spiraled down to the ocean before narrowly dodging additional fire from Atlesian reinforcements, forcing him to switch his Valkyrie into Gerwalk mode and shocking the opponents.

With them distracted with focusing on Chuck's _Siegfried_ , Arad took the opportunity to fly behind the native forces and launched a volley of bullets, seeing them collide with two Atlesian thrusters. Smirking, he switched his VF-31 over to Battroid move before speeding forward, drawing out the PPB knives before severing the guns off the opposing planes, followed by a swift strike that separated the cockpits off the main bodies. Another barrage of bullets had drawn his attention, forcing him to strafe left before firing back, destroying another Atlesian fighter's wings and guns at the same time.

"Nice try," Arad commented before glancing up, seeing another group of opposing fighters coming at him before breaking off as the VF-25 fired at them.

"Don't get too excited, Commander," Summer commented as she fired on a fleeing Atlesian, blowing its thrusters to smithereens. "Overconfidence can lead to downfall."

As she said that, she took notice of the remaining fighters that broke off come after her, firing upon her and making her dodge their barrage of ammunition. Having a crazy idea in her head, she launched a volley of missiles backwards before shifting into Battroid, firing upon her own explosives and coating the sky in smoke. Her pursuers passed through the smoke afterwards, not prepared for a barrage of bullets hailing downwards, tearing off the wings and causing them to descent rapidly into the waters.

"Show off," she heard her own daughter call out to her, making her look over to see Ruby's Valkyrie flying backwards in Gerwalk mode, taking on and exchanging fire with the pursuing Atlesian forces and managed to take out three of them of their guns. Satisfied with her word, she initially halted her flight path before switching into Fighter mode and flying up to the sun, stalling the ones chasing her due to the harsh light. Thanks to the glare provided by the star, she let her thrusters die before nosediving back down, firing down on the unsuspecting Atlas machinery and taking out the wings and thrusters.

"Now who's the show off now," Summer muttered out in mock pain before smirking.

"Be glad I got that from you," the young Ruby retorted back with a smile before reengaging the fighters of _Glacier Point_. The mother could only smile over how the young girl has developed into a capable Valkyrie pilot before getting back into the fight herself, taking down any Atlesian fighter that came towards her. In a way, she's informing the Atlas forces why she's called the legendary White Rose.

As she had watched the battle unfold, Winter could only watch in shock as the eight fighters that engaged her forces were making quick work of the platoons out in the skies. She was certain that with the numerical advantage, she would have made the unknown fleet surrender immediately. Her thoughts were shifted the other way as the visuals provided detailed the _Siegfried_ s taking out the fighters with faster reflexes and pin point accuracy.

One of the VF-31s, the one piloted by Weiss, groaned in frustration as many Atlesian fighters got behind her before opening fire, reminding her of a pair of SV-262 Drakens that performed the same maneuver countless times. However, she knew that Atlas was not Windermere, and with her mind made up, she shifted her Valkyrie into Battroid mode before firing back, taking out the fighters' guns before moving in to take out the wings. She watched in satisfaction as the machines drifted down before crashing into the ocean, floating helplessly for the rest of the dogfight.

Looking up, she has spotted the faint forms of both Hayate and Mirage's fighters covering each other's flanks as groups of Atlesian forces continuously fell to the pilots' teamwork. Both _Siegfried_ s were in Gerwalk mode as they fired back on the pursuers, destroying the weapon of any opposing plane that came towards them. She had to admit that despite their differences, the both of them make a good team against impossible odds.

Her gaze was broken as additional bullet fire passed her by from the top, noticing another group of pursuing Atlesians going after her. Shifting over to Fighter mode, she sped away from her pursuers as her fighter glides over the waters, creating a water trail in the process. Looking back, she smiled as the fighters kept their pace towards her plane before launching missiles, having the hit the waters before executing a program in them, detonating the explosives underwater and derailing the planes before they crashed.

Getting another glimpse of the battleships getting closer to the battlefield, she had a vague idea that her sister commanding the attacking Atlas forces must be boiling with irritation. Smirking, she maneuvered her Valkyrie passed any decommissioned Atlesian fighters coming down from the fight, exchanging fire and severing wings left and right. She was about to shift into Gerwalk mode when the sight of mounted Paladins on the cruisers came in view, opening fire and directing her back into the aerial dogfight.

Amidst the chaos brewed between both _Glacier Point_ and the Ragnan refugee fleet forces, both captains of their respective groups watching the battle had mixed reactions as to how the battle was turning out. Ernest only smirked over the sight of the Atlesian fighters' numbers dwindling due to the Delta Platoon's coordination and experience from previous battles, while Winter's glare intensified as many of her platoons were dropping like flies. Furious, she clenched her fist as the battlecruisers got closer to the chaos.

"Order all Paladins on board our ships to aid in the attack," she shouted out, breathing heavily. "We will not lose to these fighters."

"But ma'am," one of the officers called back. "Our Paladins don't have the range to do any difference—"

"DON'T QUESTION MY ORDERS! NOW DO IT!"

Due to her orders, every Paladin on board the cruisers got into position before activating their weapon systems, launching an endless volley of bullets and rockets into the battle. Arad only groaned as the matter has grown more complicated than it should have, but that didn't faze him as his _Siegfried_ in Battroid Mode began to target both the remaining fighters and the heavy ordnance heading towards him. Moving his eyes in rapid progression, he opened fire on the targets in his sights, taking down the wings while detonating the incoming explosives before they could do any damage.

Looking over, he can already tell that both Yang and Ruby have a faint idea as to what they're going to do, taking on the sight of both their VF-31s in Gerwalk Mode flying towards the carriers. The Paladins didn't waste time to adjust their aim as the sight of the two planes gained their attention, causing them to open fire on the approaching Valkyries. Both sisters could only strafe left and right to avoid the oncoming fire before returning the attack, seeing their bullets impact both the weapons and the legs of the combat walkers.

As they moved around and disabling one warship of their anti-air arsenal, Summer took the opportunity to fly passed the girls, maneuvering her _Messiah_ away from the Atlesian fighters barrage before shifting into Gerwalk mode herself, moving behind them and removing their weapons and thrusters with her own volley of ammunition. Seeing them spiral before crashing onto a stray Paladin before getting towards her chosen target: the carrier's thrusters. Breathing in, she unleashed a barrage onto it, seeing it take considerable damage before exploding and directing the ship to descend to the waters.

"That should take one of them out of the fight," she commented before setting her sights on the remaining carriers. "I should have enough to finish the job—"

More bullet fire had interrupted her thoughts as another group of Atlesian planes had targeted her VF-25, making her curse out before shifting into Fighter Mode to shake them off. She had to admit that despite their lack of experience, the pilots trying to shoot her down were persistent to take her on. However, they paled in comparison to the N.U.N.S. VF-171 _Nightmares_ , the Windermerean SV-262 Drakens, or the Vajra she had faced in her past.

Looking back to see the fighters, she was about to launch another surprise when they scattered away from another volley of reactive rounds, seeing Hayate's machine fly passed hers as he took them on. The young man kept a steady gaze on the fleeing fighters as he set his sights on the wings of the planes, opening fire on them and seeing the rounds impact where they went. The resulting damage left the fighters spiraling out of control as they headed off to towards the ocean waters.

Even with the Paladins fighting back at the Valkyries, Winter couldn't help but be enraged as the fighters her forces faced had adapted to their strategies and continue to decimate her forces. Unconsciously grabbing the watch out of her pocket, she began to flick it open and close rapidly as many of her platoons plummeted down to the waters, and the Paladins she sent out were getting disarmed by the machines' weapons. Flicking the watched closed, she closed her eyes and breathed heavily before lashing the object, turning her head to face the shocked operators.

"These fighters have forced my hand…" she started, walking over to the railing before gripping it with her hands. "If this is how they wanted to play, then we'll return the favor." She then straightened her posture as one of her hands was placed on her sabre's hilt. "All ships, prepare the main guns and aim at their fleet. Target the giant and open fire."

"But ma'am, if we open fire, we won't have enough energy to return to Atlas," one of her operators spoke out in fear before hearing her sabre's blade collide with the railing.

"I DON'T CARE IF WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH ENERGY! GET THOSE GUNS PRIMED AND FIRE AT THEIR FLEET!"

"R-Roger."

The operator began to relay her orders over to the remaining Atlesian battlecruisers that is still in the air while the others worked on getting the guns ready, and the energy buildup of the main weapons didn't go unnoticed by Chuck. Growing worried, he was about to contact the _Elysion_ when the sight of additional fighters coming towards him grabbed his eyes, forcing him to switch over to Gerwalk Mode and opened fire on them. The attack resulted in the fighters scattering for a time, allowing him to raise the Valkyrie's arm to fire a set of consecutive shots, transmitting the message using his improvised Morse code. His message was immediately caught by Nina, who went wide eyed over the news.

"Captain, the Atlesian fleet is preparing to open fire on us," she announced over to Ernest, who went wide eyed over what she said. "If any of their shots hit the Island ship…"

"…then the civilians will be in danger," he finished her thoughts, standing up hastily. "Prepare the Pin Point Barrier systems. We'll—"

"I'll take care of it," Weiss spoke out on the comm, making him look at the visual to see her VF-31 _Siegfried_ moving towards the opposing fleets with impressive speeds. The ice themed girl gazed upon the battlecruisers that made up part of _Glacier Point_ and, imputing the commands on the consoles, had the Valkyrie bring out the cannon from the fighter's back before aiming it at the ships' main guns. When she got to her designated distance, she opened fire on the battleships' weapon system with the cannon, seeing the impact disable their main means of offence one at a time. One of the blasts also hit the main cruiser Winter was on, causing the crew and the Paladins on top to slightly lose her balance and forcing her to look at the operators.

"REPORT," she shouted out in rage.

"Ma'am… our main line of offense has been shot," her bridge hand announced to her as he looked at his console. "We can't fire the main guns."

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN WE CAN'T FIRE THE MAIN GUNS?"

"I mean we're sitting ducks, ma'am. If we continue like this, then we're—" A translucent dagger then pierced the console in front of him, making him jump before looking at his senior officer. "M-Ma'am…?"

"Don't finish that statement if you want to keep your position," she seethed out, her ice blue eyes scaring the man as she spoke out. "Find who's responsible for disabling us and tag it for our—"

Before she could finish her order towards her soldiers, Weiss' VF-31 soared upwards from underneath in Fighter mode, flying in the skies before changing course and switching into Gerwalk mode. As it landed on the cruiser in a skid before stopping, the fighter was about to turn towards the bridge when the Paladins regained their bearings, taking sight of the _Siegfried_ before aiming their weapons at it. Before they could open fire, the Valkyrie's gun pods on its arms came out before being pointed towards the Atlesian mechs, opening fire to disable them in their places. The bullets she used impacted the legs of the machines as well as the weapon loadouts, crippling them before she turned her fighter to face the bridge, tilting it forward as if it was leaning.

It was due to that act that Winter took a good look of the emblem on the _Siegfried_ 's back, going wide eyed as she recognized it as the Schnee emblem. Thoughts began to course through her mind as she takes in this new revelation, trying to figure out why one of the opposing fighters, the one that disabled her cruisers and crippled the Paladins onboard her ship. She took a step back as the behemoth of the VF-31 stayed standing in front of the bridge, wondering why it hasn't made a move to finish the fight.

"M-Ma'am, that f-fighter is hailing us," one of the communications officers called out to her, nervous as he gazed at the machine. "I-It seems like it w-want's to reach us…"

She looked at the officer with wide eyed, pondering her choice before breathing heavily, nodding as she tried to regain her posture. "Put it through…"

"Ma'am," was all he could say before typing on the controls, messing with the bandwidth until he assured her that they were connected with it and allowing her to regain her posture.

"Alright, you have gained my attention, machine," she started out, not letting herself lose her bearings. "You decimated our forces, disabled our ships… and most importantly, embarrassed the pride of Atlas' finest elite. What do you have to say to yourself?"

" _Really_ ," Weiss' voice rang through the comm, shocking the Schnee captain to a degree. " _We just reunited after months of being away, and that is all you have to say?_ "

"Weiss?" Her posture became loose as Winter stepped forward. "I-is that really you? Where… where have you been all this time?"

" _Long story, dear sister. It's a long story_." She then waited until her sister began once more. " _No disrespect towards you Winter, but you need to call off your remaining pilots_. _The fleet in front of you mean no harm._ "

"How would you know, Weiss? More importantly, why are you out there inside that… that Sky Fighter?"

" _It's a VF-31_ Siegfried _, Winter, and I know a lot more than you think. The fleet in front of you have come here to seek refuge from our enemy, and unless you want the short version, I'd suggest you contact General Ironwood right away and allow us to pass on through._ "

"How can you be so sure about this, Weiss," the older sibling asked Weiss, seeing the Valkyrie in front of her back up from the bridge.

" _Because if you don't, then I'm afraid the remaining forces of Atlas won't last a minute when our enemies find us._ " Weiss then allowed Winter to think about what she had said before continuing. " _Please, if you are my sister, believe me when I say that a force far more dangerous than the Grimm will show up on Remnant's doorstep._ "

"A force far more dangerous than the Grimm… Just what sort of enemy are we talking about?"

" _An enemy that doesn't care if you're human or faunas_." Weiss then started up her thrusters, lifting off from the cruiser slightly. " _Winter, I'm not asking this as just 'between a Specialist and a Captain…' but as between sisters._ "

"Ma'am, are you sure that this machine should be trusted," one of her guards asked her, only to be silenced as she raised her hand.

"Weiss, I'm not really sure what to believe," she started off, making a few steps to the side before taking a light breath. "But if what you say is true… then I'll try to support you as much as I can. I'll inform the general of the recent updates."

" _That's all I'm asking._ "

"As I do, I'm certain that my senior officer wants to meet with yours, considering that what you have told me, you're a Specialist in your own right." She then closed her eyes before reopening them, revealing a fond smile. "I've got to say, Weiss, that over the months you've been gone, you've grown up."

" _Not just me, my whole team has grown._ " There was a pause before she continued. " _I've experienced a lot of fun, new worlds and… and loss as well._ "

"I see." She then went into a commanding posture, addressing the soldiers under her command. "Have all of our fighters to stand down and return to what's left standing of _Glacier Point_. Do a body count—"

" _We've made sure not to kill your forces, Winter_ ," Weiss' voice interrupted. " _Get some salvage crews out there to retrieve your pilots waiting in the waters._ "

"I'll be sure to, and you inform your Captain to meet with General Ironwood Immediately." She let out one more smile as she gazed at Weiss' Valkyrie. "I'll see you at Atlas, sister."

In her cockpit, Weiss could only nod and smile as tears slowly flowed from her eyes, shifting her Valkyrie into Fighter mode before flying back towards the _Elysion_. Gathering her thoughts, she flew passed both the VF-31s and Atlesian fighters as the battle was called off, typing on her console and sending the message over to the Macross bridge. As she slowed her fighter and docked on the _Aether_ , the message was seen by Ernest and the girls, with the former in thought over the information.

"Captain, what are we going to do," Nina asked the Zentradi, surprised as he stood up.

"What else can we do," he started off as he adjusted his cap, looking at her. "We're initiating official first contact with the locals. Have a shuttle ready for myself and Kaname, and get the Delta Platoon replenished stat." He then looked over to _Glacier Point_ , seeing the ships launching salvage teams to recover the downed pilots. "Let's hope this General Ironwood is reasonable."

* * *

There were very few things that would surprise his state of mind, and over the course of Winter's battle between the fleet that had appeared in Remnant's skies, he had seen some rather otherworldly skills. He had witnessed the Sky Fighters from Mistral, along with four more fighters similar to them, take on and decimate the elite that made up the Advance Fleet of _Glacier Point_ , and the sight of the fighters changing into two different forms shocked his soldiers and unnerved Jacques to an extent. He was about to question his sanity when he had received a message from Winter letting him know that the mysterious fleet's captain is coming down to meet with him, and that one of the fighters was piloted by her sister Weiss.

He now stood in attention in front of the courtyard of Atlas' combined academy and military base, awaiting the arrival of the captain wishing to meet with him. Out of precaution, he had his soldiers stand in attention on the sidelines as Jacques stood slightly behind him, a scowl visible on the man's face. He believed that was due to the face that _Glacier Point_ and all of its forces were under Winter's command, and her loss to the fleet meant that the CEO was vastly disappointed in her.

His thoughts were then drifted apart as he, along with his men and the Schnee 'patriarch,' heard the sound of jets coming towards them, making them look up to the sight of Winter's Bullhead descending to the ground, followed by the very fighters that took out her ships. They all went wide eyed as the fighters brought out sets of arms and feet before gently landing on the ground, powering down as the Remnant shuttle settled on the surface. The transport then opened up to reveal Winter walking out of it, stepping off the machine before approaching the general and her father.

The Atlesians then took witness to the fighters opening their cockpits, shocking them as the pilots themselves appeared human, with one of them having gills on his neck and barnacle like dreadlocks for hair. However, one of the pilots stood out to them the most, with her ice blue eyes scanning them and white hair pulled into a messier bun than Winter's, with the locks going in different directions. They had realized that the pilot in question was the missing Weiss Schnee, standing in attention beside Ruby and Yang, and that her eyes were dangerously narrowed towards her father Jacques.

"General Ironwood, sir," Winter started as she stopped and saluted in front of him, receiving one in return. "I have come bearing news in regards to the fleet in question."

"Thank you, Winter," the man acknowledged her, motioning her to speak her thoughts.

"General, according to my sister—the fleet's Specialist Weiss Schnee…" she looked to see the shock on the man's face before continuing. "The fleet that had appeared in Remnant skies had come to Remnant, seeking refuge from an enemy they believe might come here. This enemy, from what she has told me, appears to have driven them off their home, and that their power is far more dangerous than that of the Grimm."

"What a load of total nonsense," Jacques spoke out, glaring at Weiss. "James and I have seen how dangerous those fighters are, and quite frankly, I don't think we're safe with them here—"

"JACQUES," Ironwood shouted, shutting the man down before gazing at Winter. "Continue."

"Of course." She took the time to gather her thoughts. "I don't know what this enemy is that she spoke of… but if they have the strength to push the fleet off their home… then I'm afraid that we might not have the chance to fight back."

"How so?"

"Allow me," the senior pilot spoke up as he walked over towards the general, extending his hand. "Arad Molders, commander of Chaos Ragna Division's Delta Platoon."

"James Ironwood, general of Atlas' forces, and headmaster of Atlas Academy," the general responded in kind, accepting the handshake. "Now, explain to me what this enemy is, and why Winter believes we wouldn't stand a chance."

"Gladly." He removed his hand before speaking. "Before we begin, how much do you know about the Valkyries, specifically the ones that came from the ground?"

"Valkyries?"

"The VF-171 _Nightmares_ ," he simplified, shocking the general before continuing. "To put it in general, the Valkyries, variable fighters that have the capacity to change forms, has been the staple machine in both military and civilian contractor alike." He then motioned towards the fighters behind the Delta Platoon pilots. "The VF-31 _Siegfrieds_ in front of you are one such variant of the Valkyrie, as well as the VF-171s. It's not just us that pilot them though, as our enemy has access to Valkyries of their own… the SV-262 Draken IIIs."

"Then… if your enemies show up here… what will happen to us…"

"It depends on their tactics, General." He saw how worried Ironwood was as he looked back to see the shuttle from the _Elysion_ arrive before touching down. "If you wish to know about our enemy, then our captain will be more than willing to share that information."

As he had said that, the Chaos shuttle opened its bay doors, and the Atlesians were not prepared for what came out of it. Stepping out of the transport was Chaos Ragna's captain Ernest Johnson, and gazing at the frightened humans, could only sigh as he was technically the first Zentradi the people has seen. He made his way over to the just as shocked general before standing in attention.

"Y-you must be the captain," Ironwood stuttered out, seeing the man nod.

"And you must be the general of Atlas," Ernest replied back.

"Correct…" He then looked back at Arad before composing himself. "Captain, I understand that you have information about this enemy of yours." He then looked at the uninterested look on Jacques face before pressuring further. "I-if you'd be willing to share this information, then please tell us. What makes this enemy dangerous?"

Ernest then pondered what the man asked, getting a nod from Arad before speaking up. "General, your forces, as they are right now, won't last very long against the enemy we have faced over the past few months. Your kingdom of Mistral had barely survived the onslaught caused by the Var on that day."

"Mistral?"

"That's right. Had the Delta Platoon and Walkure not show up in time, the damage would have escalated." He let him absorb his words before continuing. "Only we have the experience to handle the Var, and the ones in control of it: The sovereign world of Windermere."

"Windermere has already declared war on us and the N.U.N.S. forces stationed in this globular cluster, and already has full control over the planets affected by the Var," Arad added in. "Even if they don't unleash the Var, your forces would be devastated by the might of the Aerial Knights." He then got closer to Ironwood. "You already saw how we defeated your advance fleet with little problems, General. If it were the Aerial Knights, none of those men we fought would have lived as the Windermereans will kill without mercy."

Delta leader's words quickly dawned on the Atlesian forces as they all stiffened over the news, with Ironwood realizing that their threat could be by Remnant's doorstep at any moment. They all saw how the Delta Platoon took out _Glacier Point_ 's forces without taking a life, knowing that if it had been the Windermerean forces they had fought, none of those men would have survived. As the situation was coming clear to the military, one man only scoffed before moving passed Ironwood.

"Surely, you jest," he muttered out clearly. "Var? Windermere? Do you think that the Atlas military would lose to such… _lies_? Clearly, the illness that took Mistral that day was a Grimm virus launched by the White Fang, not some symptom used by this Windermere you speak of." He then glared at Weiss, moving passed Ernest. "Besides, it's clear to me that you were the ones that had kidnapped my _precious_ daughter from me."

"Jacques, what are you—" Ironwood shouted out, only to be silenced by the SDC CEO.

"Weiss, my _dear_ daughter, you're not hurt from these ruffians, are you?" His faux hurt eyes pierced her soul as he continued. "Truly, you must have been traumatized over what they have forced you into."

"If you're suggesting that Captain Johnson had forced me into joining the Delta Platoon, then you are surely mistaken," she spat out in his face, not backing down. "I joined them out of my own free will, not through your 'assured connections,' _father_."

"What is with that tone in your voice, Weiss?" His eyes narrowed slightly. "You should know better than to speak to your father like that—"

"Oh that's hilarious." Weiss' eyes narrowed as well as she continued. "You have never been a father throughout my life. You were always thinking more as a business man than as a caring and devoted parent. If you had even shown a bit of fatherly love, then maybe I wouldn't be talking to you like thi—"

She was immediately silenced as Jacques slapped her in the cheek, causing her to go wide eyed and almost made Yang jump at him as he spoke out again. "What have I told you about your tone, young lady? You are to address me as you always should have, not with that _spark of freedom_ you kept imagining. You are a Schnee, and you are to act like one."

" _Ooh, let me at 'im_ ," Yang mentally thought as she tried to keep herself restrained, only to stop as she heard laughter coming from her friend.

"Act like a Schnee, you say," Weiss muttered out through her laughter, venom coursing through her tone. "It's true that I am a Schnee, and I'm proud to be born as one." Her laughter then died down, replaced with a determined face. "But I will act in a way as I see fit, and you can't make me stop, _father_. You are, in a Hayate manner of speaking, an asshole in sheep's clothing who only married into the name."

"HOW DARE YOU," she heard him shout out at her, mentally smirking as he breathed in before going into his more business attitude. "In that case, you have forced my hand. Weiss Schnee, due to your vulgar attitude, I hereby decided to have you moved to your room in the Schnee manor, where you shall remain there to reflect upon your actions."

"I refuse, Jacques Gelè," she spat back at him, using his old surname as she kept her glare. "I am not yours to do with as you please."

"THAT'S JACQUES SCHNEE TO YOU, YOUNG LA—"

"And if Windermere decides to show up, I won't hesitate to hand you over to them."

The air was silent as the match between father and daughter reached a standstill, with both Schnees staring each other down. Both Ironwood and Ernest believed that what Weiss had spoken out weighs heavily on the CEO of the SDC, and that her attitude towards him showed that she's grown. Jacques, however, was furious over what she had spat in his face, but when he was about to make a move, the Zentradi's comm blared to life, forcing him to connect to the _Elysion_ bridge.

"What's going on," he asked out to the Macross.

" _Captain, we have bad news,_ " Nina's voice echoed out, drawing their attention. " _They found us. The Aerial Knights are here._ "

"Already?"

"Sir, you're not going to believe this," one of the Atlesian soldiers rushed towards the general. "Scouts have detected six unknowns coming down from orbit, and they're coming in fast."

"Six," Ironwood asked out in shock, looking at Ernest who had a grim look on his face.

"It's Windermere," he told the Atlesian official, looking up in the sky to see six fireballs coming down. "They didn't waste time to catch up to us." He then looked back at the man. "General, you need to evacuate the people as fast as you can. The Aerial Knights won't hesitate to kill."

The man looked over to gaze at the Atlesian forces standing in attention, sighing before addressing the otherworldly visitor. "Your words are greatly appreciated, captain. However, Remnant is our home." Gazing at the Delta Platoon pilots, he closed his eyes before continuing. "I'm well aware that we don't have any experience in fighting these Aerial Knights you spoke of… but I will fight back, even if I'm backed to a corner."

"General—"

"I don't want to hear. Not right now." James then turned to face his worried forces, placing his hands behind his back before addressing them. "Men, we are at a dark time. The enemy has shown itself to us, and we'll face it head on. Do not falter, and have your heads held high. We will not back down in front of our foes, be it Grimm, human… or Windermerean." He heard the loud echo of cheers coming from his men before speaking out. "I want all of our fighters in the skies to combat this threat, and get our Paladins mobilized."

"With all due respect, General, but you're just sending men to—"

"I'm already aware of what I'm doing," Ironwood interrupted Ernest. "But that won't stop me from trying."

The Zentradi stood there in surprise before smiling, crossing his arms before speaking. "Then at least have us assist." He looked over to the Delta Platoon, specifically at Ruby, Weiss and Yang. "Besides, some of us have to repay them for what they did." He then turned to face the pilots. "Everyone, I need you out there to assist Atlas with the defence. Despite their pride, none of them stands a chance against Windermere's forces, but hopefully we can turn the tide. Get to it."

" **Yes Sir** _ **,**_ " they saluted to him before rushing towards their Valkyries except Weiss, whose wrist was grabbed by Jacques.

"You're not going anywhere but home, young lady," he seethed out of his teeth, keeping a grip on her. "Your little charade ends here, Weiss. You're—"

"OH SHUT UP," was all she said before yanking him forward with his grip, shocking him as he was forced forward before feeling a blow into his stomach. He went wide as her elbow landed with enough force, but as he was about to process what happened, he felt her hand grab the back of his collar and flipped him down to the ground, feeling his body impact the ground. He could only cough as he looked at the harsh glare coming from the girl.

"Weiss… what are you…" he started out before coughing, staring into her eyes.

"Have that little stain of a brother be the heir for all I care, Jacques," she spat at the shocked CEO, clenching her hands into fists. "I have a battle to be a part of."

As she had said that, his face began to boil with rage as she made her way to the cockpit of her VF-31 _Siegfried_ , though his shouts were quickly shut out by the self-announced ex-Heiress. Winter, watching the exchange, couldn't help but smile over Weiss' newfound freedom from her father before looking up to the sky, worried over how strong the Aerial Knights could be. However, she knows how capable her sister was with the Valkyrie, and could only hope and pray for her safety.

Meanwhile, the Aerial Knights now under the command of the White Knight Gale had just entered the skies of Remnant under orders of Lloyd Brehm, knowing that both Chaos and Walkure are on the planet. The Windermereans marvelled over the beauty the planet had to offer, with Bogue and the Justilla twins mentally picturing the Draken Battroids standing guard on the surface. The redhead however gazed upon the crimson colored SV-262 with mock interest before connecting to the leading plane, seeing her face pop up on the screens.

"Listen up here, Gale," he started out as the Drakens got closer. "You may have been chosen by Lord Lloyd to fill in the White Knight's role, but I will not accept you as one of us. You'd better not stain the pride of the White Knight's title, otherwise you would be answering to Lord Keith when he returns to us."

"Bogue, Rune," Herman's voice called out to him, making him realizing that the rune in his hair was glowing. "Remember, we have our orders from Lord Lloyd. We are to observe Gale's capabilities as the White Knight, as well as exterminating the military presence on this planet."

"I know, but it doesn't mean I have to accept her."

"We're not asking you too, Bogue. We're only asking that you do the job we've been assigned. Clear?"

"Crystal," was all he can say before the Draken system alerted him of incoming foes, making him look to see a large contingent of Atlesian fighters approaching. "Speak of the Earthlings, they came in just in time."

"They've set up the red carpet for us," Qasim commented, gripping his controls.

"Then let's return the gesture," Herman commanded, setting his targeting systems on the approaching fighters. "For the Glory of the Great Wind."

As he had said that, the Atlesian forces in the skies began to open fire on the SV-262s, launching volleys of bullets and hordes of missiles towards them. The Windermereans however, separated the drones attached from their fighters before sending the first in the fight, commanding them to fire back at the oncoming explosives before attacking with their own machines. The Aerial Knights then noticed that their opponents' fighters lack the capabilities of the Valkyries, making Bogue smirk as he gunned down any enemy plane in his sights, destroying them completely and killing the pilots.

"How was that, Earthlings," Bogue commented before spotting another group of Atlesian forces approaching him, making him shift his Draken into Gerwalk Mode before flying backwards. He waited as the fighters coming towards his machine got closer until his reticle lit up, making him open fire on the planes. Two of them felt the impact of the SV-262's ammunition before detonating in front of the arrogant Windermerean while the other broke off, gaining distance away from him before getting destroyed by the Draken's cannon.

Bullet fire then came from behind the Windermerean's plane, making the redhead look back to see additional Atlesian reinforcements targeting him from behind. He could only groan in irritation as his foes got closer, only to break away as the sight of Gale's Draken came to view, opening fire on them and destroying one Atlesian plane. Despite being saved by her, he showed nothing but annoyance towards her for taking away a challenge from him.

"Bogue, are you alright," he heard Herman on the comm, making him groan.

"I'm fine," he answered him as he watched Gale's fighter destroy the Atlesian fighters in front of it. "She just got lucky."

"I understand your animosity towards our temporary White Knight, but don't allow your mind cloud your senses." His runes then glowed faintly along with the redhead's, seeing the familiar sight of the VF-31s coming towards them. "Enemy reinforcements?"

"Walkure's protectors." Bogue then smirked over the thought of the tactical sound unit being on Remnant. "If they're here, then so are those accursed singers. I'm going to enjoy this."

Setting his sights on the incoming Valkyries, he motioned his SV-262 towards the incoming _Siegfrieds_ , taking in the sight of Hayate's machine before passing them. Knowing who to go after, he spun around until he was behind the one piloting the Grim Reaper's Valkyrie, opening fire on the young man immediately afterwards. In his mind as he attacked the growing VF-31 pilot, he was going to avenge both Gramia and Keith's honor, and he'll do it by killing Hayate.

The young man was looking back as Bogue's assault on him was preventing him from assisting the Atlesian army's air force, and so he shifted his controls on the Valkyrie to maneuver away from the reactive rounds coming towards him. Keeping up with the quick thinking, he got his fighter's own cannon out from its back before pointing it at the redheaded Windermerean's fighter before taking shots at him. Eyes wide, the Aerial Knight shifted his SV-262 over to the right to avoid the blasts before shifting into Gerwalk, launching a barrage of missiles over to the Delta 05 pilot.

He didn't count on the fact that others were nearby as his missiles were shot down by Ruby's VF-31 _Siegfried_ , her fighter flying passed him before shooting down one of the drones launched by his allies. Recognizing her fighter as the one that assisted in taking out the White Knight on Ragna, he gripped his controls to open fire on her, only for Gale to fly passed him to engage Ruby in the skies.

As he shifted his SV-262 back into fighter mode to take out more of the Atlesian fighters, his allies Theo and Xao worked in tandem as their Valkyries moved back to back, using their guns to destroy any military plane that dared to challenge them in the skies. Switching over into Gerwalk Mode, they positioned their Drakens behind one another as they launched an endless volley of ammunition towards a swarm of fighters, devastating their enemy's forces. Both pilots could only watch in disappointment as they sight of Atlas' technology didn't provide any challenge.

"For a military presence on this planet, these Earthlings aren't as skilled as the N.U.N.S.," Theo commented as he shot down one of the planes with his cannon, seeing the blast go through the cockpit moments before exploding.

"Must have been a splinter faction, from what we're seeing," his brother thought out before firing it a retreating Atlesian fighter. "Regardless, they're throwing their lives away trying to fight us."

"A shame that Snowflake isn't here; otherwise we would be having fun." His rune then glowed in sync with his brother's, looking out to see the familiar form of Weiss' Valkyrie charging at them. "There she is."

"Eager to die, isn't she?" The twins then shifted their fighters into Fighter Mode before dashing towards the _Siegfried_ , setting their targeting systems on her while launching the drones off their Drakens. "Then let's indulge her, shall we?"

"Da!"

As the twins got closer towards Weiss with the intent of getting rid of her, she had a hunch that they would get behind her and use their numbers against her. Gripping her controls, she opened fire on the approaching Windermereans before switching over to Gerwalk mode herself, taking in the sight of them circling around her before firing from behind. Smirking, she turned her fighter around as the sight of the twins' drones got closer and, setting her targeting on them, opened fire on the sentries. The view of her bullets impacting them satisfied her as the drones detonated shortly after, shocking the twins as she focused her attention on them.

"She's improving," Theo muttered in shock.

"How did she figure out our plans," his brother asked out before feeling his fighter shake from an impact, looking back to see his cannon out of commission. "This wind…"

Furious, Xao glared at the ice blue and white colored VF-31 as it kept its assault on the twins, forcing him to launch out a barrage of missiles towards Weiss. Reacting quickly, the ex-heiress strafed left and right as she fired back at the explosives, preventing them from reaching her plane. However, she didn't anticipate Theo to join in as the twin fired back at her, hitting her left wing and causing her Valkyrie to shake.

"Damn," she cursed out as she glared at the Windermerean planes approaching. "You take Ragna away from us… I'll be damned if I let you take Remnant away as well." She then programmed her cannon to aim at the twins. "You're going to have to grip it out of my cold, DEAD HANDS!"

She then launched out a wave of missiles over towards the Justilla twins' fighters before following it up with an endless wave of reactive rounds at them. Surprised by this action, the twins shifted their own fighters into Gerwalk mode before gliding back, firing back on the missiles to prevent them from reaching the Drakens. While they were able to destroy most of them, their machines heavily shook as some of the explosives detonated near them. This forced them to switch back into Fighter Mode before flying off, being chased by Weiss as her fighter changed into Fighter Mode as well.

"You're not getting away," she shouted out as her fighter got closer to theirs, firing at them and destroying Theo's missile launchers and angering the Windermereans. Seeing his twin in distress, Xao quickly maneuvered his fighter till it was behind hers, but as he was about to open fire, a stream of bullets impacted his fighter as Yang's VF-31 came into view. The bumblebee colored then got to Weiss' _Siegfried_ , switching over to Gerwalk and facing Xao's machine as the blonde connected with her teammate.

"Weiss, are you alright," she asked her fellow pilot, opening fire on the twin behind them.

"Just a little frustrated, but so far, so good," her friend answered her, setting her sights on Theo's Valkyrie. "I appreciate what you're doing for me right now."

"Hey, we girls have got to stick together in trying times." The Blonde then paused to shoot down incoming missiles from Xao's Draken before continuing. "Besides, what you just did to your father was awesome."

"Hey, he had it coming a long time ago." Weiss then opened fire on the Windermerean plane in front of her, groaning as she saw it dodge her shots before it took out more Atlesian fighters. "Shouldn't you be helping Ruby assist with the defence?"

"I would have, but one good look at that red Windermerean Draken set her off," she answered her as she dodged the twin's shots. "She's now pursuing it as we speak, and mom's dealing with the defences."

"The crimson Draken…" she then looked out to the side to see the mentioned fighter in front of Ruby's VF-31 _Siegfried_ exchanging fire between each other. To say she was shocked would be an understatement as the way the VF-31piloted by her partner and the SV-262 fought and moved was similar to the White Knight and the late Messer's duels earlier in the war. However, she knew that Ruby would make it out of it alive.

Speaking of the young reaper, she continued to exchange bullet fire with the red and golden unit while avoiding the Windermerean's attacks. Groaning, she launched several volleys of missiles meant to take her foe down, only to feel her fighter shake uncontrollably as the Draken shot the explosives as they came out of the Valkyrie. She then noticed the SV-262 stall briefly to get behind her and, not giving the Aerial Knight the chance, chose to stall behind as well to stay behind the unit. She then took note of a group of Atlesian fighters closing in to the enemy plane, going wide eyed.

"No, get away," she called out to them, only for her pleas to fall on deaf ears as the fighters launched volleys of rockets towards her foe. She watched in shock as the Draken armed its cannon before opening fire, detonating the explosives before it got to it. She then glared as the Windermerean plane charged its shots before firing at the battalion, seeing the blasts go through the cockpits before detonating the machines.

Knowing that Crimson wasn't going to back down that easily, she doubled her efforts to take out the temporary White Knight and focused fire on the Draken's thrusters. Unknown to her and her foe, their skirmish was being broadcasted towards Lloyd as he watched in his chambers on Windermere, smirking as the battle is going as he expected. Grabbing the datapad near him, he smirked as he glanced at the footage before pressing a few commands on it.

"Well then," he started, looking at the _Siegfried_ on screen as he worked, typing a few more commands before finishing. "Why don't you introduce yourself fully to them. I'm sure they are _dying_ to see you again."

Ruby continuously pursued the SV-262 Draken in front of her as the battle between the Kingdom of Atlas' forces and the Aerial Knights became a one sided slaughter. While herself and the Delta Platoon did what they could to keep the Windermereans from getting further, it proved to be fruitless as both Herman and Qasim reached the ground and opened fire on the ground forces. Not even the Atlesian Paladins firing upwards to the sky didn't last against the Windermereans' power as they were gunned down by the Drakens, while the Atlesian battlecruisers docked were blown to smithereens.

It didn't deter the young Reaper as she kept firing on the Aerial Knight's fighter, passing through the skies despite the turbulence. Seeing the Draken's cannon aiming at her, she tilted her _Siegfried_ to the side as it fired, feeling her fighter shake as the blast only singed the wing. Determined, she got closer to the crimson and golden unit as her targeting systems locked on to it, with her one eye narrowed as she's about to make the shot.

"Say goodnight, Crimson," she muttered out as her fighter shifted into Gerwalk mode, arming the gun pod towards the Windermerean plane. "Your reign of terror ends here."

As she was about to pull the trigger to open fire, the targeting systems suddenly picked out the name of the pilot of the Draken, causing her to go wide eyed before stopping the VF-31 in its tracks. The name of the pilot began to bring out harsh memories of the _Vytal Tragedy_ , where the one person she considered a friend lost her life to the mastermind. To see the name once more has shocked the girl to her core as her Valkyrie remained stationary, something that both Yang and Hayate picked up on as they fought their own battles.

"Ruby, what's gotten into you," her older sister contacted her on the comm, hearing the young girl slowly hyperventilate.

"Oi, 2nd Lt.," Hayate tried to call out to her, shooting down one of Bogue's wings before flying closer to the young girl while knowing the Windermerean switched to Gerwalk Mode. "Ruby, are you alright?"

"It can't be…" she started muttering, still staring at the SV-262 Draken with the now revealed name. "It can't be her… It can't…"

"Ruby," Yang shouted, breaking off from her fight with Xao to reconnect with her sister. "Rubes, tell me what's wrong—"

"IT'S PYRRHA!" Her shouting shocked the blonde to the core as she gazed at the approaching Draken, seeing the name for herself as the young reaper continued. "It can't be her… and yet…"

"Ruby, snap out of it." She then switched her VF-31 into Battroid before priming its fist, going in for the punch. "It's obviously a Windermerean trap. We both know that Pyrrha died that day."

"But—"

"Yang's right," Hayate chimed in, switching into Gerwalk mode before opening fire on the Draken. "What you're seeing is a trick to lose your mind. Your Pyrrha's gone, and this one is ruining her memory by taking it for herself." He then saw the SV-262 move out of the way of his bullets before narrowly dodging Yang's fist. "And even if she is, the fact that she's fighting for Windermere's goals makes her a clear enemy to us."

"Hayate has a point," the blonde took over once more, aiming her guns at the Windermerean plane. "You have a choice here, sis. You can let her go and possibly get us all killed… or you can honor our Pyrrha's memory and take that Valkyrie down."

The young reaper then wondered about what her sister had said, gazing at the SV-262 flying away from Yang and Hayate's barrage of bullets. In her mind, she knew that Pyrrha would do anything to keep everyone safe, and looking at the Windermerean plane bearing the pilot's name destroying the Atlesian fighters while avoiding reactive rounds showed the difference clear to her. Closing her eyes, she moved to calm down her breathing until her mind was made up, gripping her controls before launching her VF-31 once more.

As she moved to engage the Windermerean Pyrrha, what remained of the Atlesian forces fell to the power of the Aerial Knights as Herman flew his Draken down to the ground, firing upon and destroying the Paladins fighting back. Looking up to the skies, he knew that their time on the planet was almost up before returning to the branch and, looking back to lock on the remaining Paladins, chose to finish the assignment. Before he could fire though, his rune reacted to an incoming danger, causing him to steer clear of raining bullets as Summer's VF-25 got behind him.

"This wind," he commented as he tried to shake her off, surprised to see her skills first hand as she shot down his cannon. "How is she…"

"Can't fight against a veteran, can you," Summer taunted the Windermerean, targeting the Draken. "Let me show you back to your White Knight."

As she said that, she opened fire upon the Aerial Knight as the senior maneuvered his plane away to the skies, groaning as the _Messiah_ maintained its speed towards him. Desperate to shake her off, he launched a large volley of missiles backwards to the VF-25, only to see her plane shoot down the explosives with ease. He had never felt a wind like Summer's before, realizing that she was not to be trifled with.

"Her wind is too strong," he commented on her skills as his fighter shook. "It's as if its blowing in her favor."

"Herman," he heard Qasim connect to him, seeing his Draken finish off what was left of the Atlesian ground combat walkers. "Our objective is complete here. We should return to the branch."

"Da, and we've already seen what Gale's capable of." His fighter shook once more as he saw Summer take out his missile launchers. "We should make a return home at once. We didn't come here to pick a fight with Walkure's guardians."

"ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME," he heard Bogue shout out on the comm. "THERE'S NO WAY WE'RE LEAVING WITHOUT PUTTING THOSE ACCURSED SINGERS TO THE GROUND! WE'RE—"

"Don't forget our purpose here, Bogue," he silenced the hotheaded Windermerean. "There's plenty more chances for us to take out Walkure, but now's not one of them."

"Argh… fine," the redheaded Windermerean finally relented as he shifted his Draken into Fighter before soaring up to the sky, followed by the other Windermereans and the crimson colored Draken falling behind. However, before they could all regroup, Ruby, who finally snapped out of her shock, flew after them in her VF-31 and opened fire on the group. Her bullets flew passed the Aerial Knights before some of them impacted the thrusters of the Windermerean Pyrrha's fighter, causing it to spiral out of control before flying off to the horizon, separated from the rest as they retreated.

"Heh, I knew she didn't have what it takes," Bogue commented on the damage done on her Draken. "She's better off dead."

As the Windermereans finally ascended out towards the vastness of space, Ironwood looked around in fright as all that he had maintained, from his fleets to the Paladins, now lie in ruins as his remaining soldiers moved to relief efforts. He has now seen the devastation Windermere was capable of by sending the Aerial Knights against his men, and he has paid for his inexperience with the sight he was now presented. He looks over solemnly towards Ernest, making up his mind before approaching the Zentradi.

"Captain…" he started before looking around the wreckage. "This… this is what you had to go through with?"

"I'm afraid so, General," the Chaos commanding officer answered him. "They have done worse over the course of the war. They have taken everything over the span of many months… and they have taken Ragna away from us."

"I see… then I'm afraid that Remnant wouldn't last against their forces…"

"That's not true." He then looked up to the sky. "You've seen the girls' conviction, Ironwood. Ruby, Weiss and Yang are working hard to ensure their home is safe, putting their lives on the line to keep it that way." He then faced the Atlesian commanding officer. "I know we have no right to ask, but our fleet needs a place to settle down. We have an island ship filled with refugees from Ragna, along with a few carriers and the Macross. As the leading officer, you have the reigns."

"I'm afraid that, after this battle, I wouldn't be in the position of General for long, Captain…" he then thought for a moment before looking back. "I owe one man many over the course of my life. It's saddening to know that he's missing, but I'm sure he'll appreciate what I'm about to do."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I know a place where you and your forces can settle down…" He then stood in attention. "You may need to take care of an eyesore, but I'm certain those Valkyries of yours can remove it no problem."

"General, are you suggesting that they—" Winter started, only to be interrupted.

"I am, Schnee." He then looked at Ernest. "There is an academy over at the Kingdom of Vale that needs to be rebuilt at all cost. I would appreciate it if you can go to it and fix the school, and the Emerald Forest near it may prove useful for your fleet to settle down." He then looked down before continuing his thoughts. "I'm sure that Ozpin would appreciate what you can do for his school."

"Beacon Academy…" The Zentradi stood in thought before nodding. "I understand."

"Thank you." Ironwood began to turn back towards the ruins of his base before addressing Winter. "Schnee, go with them and provide insight to their forces." He then looked back with a smile of a broken man. "Represent us well."

"Sir!"

He saw her salute to him once more before turning his back, walking towards the ruins and leaving Winter with Ernest. Taking it as their cue to leave, the Zentradi made his way over towards his shuttle, ushering Weiss' sister to follow him into the otherworldly vessel. Inside, she took on the sight of a young woman in uniform with red hair sitting down with a datapad in her hands, greeting them before addressing the captain.

"So, do we have somewhere to go," she asked the Zentradi, seeing him nod.

"Indeed we do," he answered her, leaning his cap forward. "Kaname, send word to the _Elysion_ , and have our fleet move onward towards Beacon Academy." He then looked outwards as the shuttle closed itself before lifting off. "Hopefully our time here won't be as hectic as today's."

Winter could only sit in silence as the shuttle made its way over towards the Ragnan refugee fleet, wondering about how her life would change from then on. Looking out, she could see the form of her boiling father, knowing that he no longer has any control over her or her younger sister. As the shuttle flew off out of Atlas' borders to reunite with the fleet, an enraged Jacques could only stand around the ruins of the battle, clenching his fist as the VF-31s and VF-25 followed the vehicle.

"One day, Weiss…" he started out, glaring at the mentioned girl's Valkyrie. "You will return to me… whether you like it or not." He then turned around to face the carnage, ignoring it as plans came into his mind. "Your so called freedom will end, and you'll be under my control once more."

* * *

 **A/N: And so begins Arc III: The Truth of Remnant, and boy did I write a really pissed of Jacques.**

 **To be fair, I have never liked his character at all, always coming off as a controlling individual who only wishes for whatever he wants. So it enlightens me to the T when I wrote Weiss judo throwing him down to the ground when he tried to get her to listen to him. I also chose this chapter to officially reveal Gale's identity as a Windermerean Pyrrha, though one reviewer had already guessed that. While it is true that her name was labelled to Ruby as 'Pyrrha Nikos,' her code name as Gale, as well as the fact that Gramia knew her in his prime, her Windermerean name and identity would be 'Pyrrha Gale Windermere.'**

 **Winter's rank to Captain may also come as a surprise to readers, but let me explain: Over the course of the months Weiss was away fighting Windermere and being on Ragna, Winter had been working tirelessly over her career as a Specialist, prompting General Ironwood to promote her and place her under command of an Atlesian fleet. I also had to come up with names for the fleet itself, trying to come up with something that fit the color rule and, after talks with both coworkers and my mom, decided to go with** _ **Glacier Point**_ **.**

 **Review Replies:**

 **Alexwu704:** _ **It seems Remnant will be in a surprise**_ **.**

 **If Atlas' devastation to the hands of the Windermerean Aerial Knights didn't say anything, them the sight of the Ragnan Refugee fleet will.**

 **Wee-0wee-0:** _ **I really hate the Windermereans except for Freyja and Qasim, of course. Anyways, it's a great chapter and can't wait for everyone's arrival at Remnant. That means… JAUNE ARC!**_

 **Freyja and Qasim, I think I can understand why you'd like them. But why is Jaune getting the love? What about Nora and Ren, considering Ruby keeps in touch with Nora more and Ren is… Ren is Ren.**

 **Tendaysromeo:** _ **Next stop, Remnant! Can't wait for everybody's favorite, Jaune Arc to appear again!**_

 **Again, why is Jaune getting all the love now? I mean, sure his character has grown, but come on… Why not show some love for Nora and Ren? They're just as favorable, right?**

 **XY Kid:** _ **It was a nice drift with the stars! Can't wait for them to arrive in Remnant.**_

 **And now they have, and have seen how much of an asshole Jacques is. To be honest, I never liked the guy.**

 **Marcus the Kane:** _ **Bzzzttt…**_

 _ **Marcus: Who fuckin' enjoys the new chapter?!**_

 _ **Eddy: Me!**_

 _ **Ed: Me! Me! Me!**_

 _ **Rex: Me, of course!**_

 _ **Jake: Don't forget me!**_

 _ **Marcus: And we're getting crowded here! Looking forward for the next chapter!**_

 _ **Bzzzttt...**_

 **HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE THERE?**

 **Xzorshio:** _ **Dude, I've been looking and reading to your story for a very long time and I am quite delighted that this is one of the best Macross crossovers I've ever seen taking into account that I am both fan of RWBY and Macross as well! One suggestion though, you should change this story into a crossover fic under Macross Delta and RWBY. I just accidentally discovered your story through the RWBY fan pages on Facebook. With your writing, I have to say that you got their personalities very well and also, the details of the canon Delta story. By the way, there will be a Macross Delta movie to be released this February 9, 2018 entitled Macross Delta: Gekijou no Walkurë (Passionate Walkurë) and according to Kawamori on the Macross event transpired last October 9, it will be like the movie Itsuwari no Utahime (False Songstress), a retelling of the whole Delta story with additional stuff going on and more Walkurë music! Will the movie affect your crossover fic if in case you future ideas?**_

 **Why thank you very much, Xzorshio. When I started getting ideas, I looked around and saw that there wasn't a single crossover between RWBY and Macross. Considering the fact, I have decided to elect myself to make one and stick to it, and the result brought me up to 19 chapters with a decent (decent for me) following. I may not be as good as any other writer, but I do my best anyways. And when I started this, there weren't enough Macross Delta entries on the sight at the time, so I just had it written in the main RWBY archives for the time being. But now, I think I'll properly move it over as a crossover.**

 **And there is going to a Macross Delta movie? In terms of ideas, it would have to depend on how far the retelling's going to be, but for the most cases, it might bring in more Walkure music. I mean, I already have both** _ **Walkure Attack**_ **and** _ **Walkure Trap**_ **albums on my phone and laptop. And in terms of the song names, I right down the names in English lettering before fully sticking with the Hiragana/Katakana/Kanji word style.**

 **Also, like you have been following mine, so have I with your story,** _ **Pilots Lost in Time and Space.**_ **When are you going to put up another chapter, by any chance?**

 **I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. What do you think? Leave a Favorite, Follow and Review.**

 **With that out of the way, I'm BlazefireDrago, signing out.**


	20. Shattered Beacon

**Disclaimer: RWBY is owned by Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth Productions, while Macross is owned by Shoji Kawamori and Studio Satelight.**

* * *

It has been months since Taiyang had heard from Ruby and Yang during their time out in outer space, and while he was glad for some peace and quiet, a part of him had grown to miss them during their absence. The last time he had heard from Ruby was after the girl's experience on Voldor, and afterwards, he had stayed away from the apples and the water in stores. He had no choice but to go into looking for alternatives, relying more on coffee or cappuccino depending on the time of day.

Of course, he has his own share of headaches to worry about, and one of them involved retelling Qrow about how Ruby left to become a pilot off world. He lost count over how many times he had to share the news to the Branwen, but every time he had finished, his 'brother in-law' would go off on a rant, saying that Valkyries and the talk of humans being from Earth were nothing more than pure fiction. It doesn't help that he has his flask on his person, allowing the Branwen to drink through the explanations while the blonde parent heavily sighed.

And then there were days when he had to 'babysit' Qrow after Ruby left to fight against the Var Syndrome, making the man groan in irritation. Ever since the Branwen had come over after what happened to the Kingdom of Mistral, the man couldn't shut up over how it was 'all planned out by the Grimm Queen.' Of course, Tai knew better as he heard the monsters whimpered out in pain when the Var struck, making him think that Ruby being out to get to the bottom of the situation was a wise, yet crazy choice.

"Qrow, exactly how hard is it to believe a word that I said," the Rose/Xiao Long patriarch asked his long-time friend, sitting down on the couch as Qrow crossed his arms. "I saw one of those fighters up close."

"You 'Think' you saw one of those fighters," the Branwen nonchalantly replied back, drinking out of his flask. "Look Tai, I understand that things aren't going well right now, with Ozpin missing and Haven in shambles, but we both know that we have to keep moving forward."

"Keep moving forward?" Glaring, the blonde man stood up from his sofa before glaring at the Branwen. "You're the one who fed Ruby the idea of going to Mistral. You told her that she could find answers by going after some mastermind, and for what? She comes back in a fighter I have never seen, heard their story, and gave both of my daughters permission to head out and deal with the source."

"OK, you have definitely gone delusional." Taking one more sip out of his flask, he moves to sit down in front of him. "Tai, you and I both know that there is no such thing as 'transforming fighters,' and that what we saw during our first year at Beacon was nothing more than an illusion."

"Remind me why I even agreed to that, Qrow?"

"Because we know what is at stake here. The Grimm's numbers are rising, and we're going to need every Huntsman and Huntress available to push them back—"

"Need I remind you that we haven't seen any Grimm since Mistral?" The scythe wielder stopped to listen as Tai continued. "Huntsman demand has dropped significantly after the 'Mistral Incident,' and not only that, the Grimm nests have been devoid of anything. No beowolves, no ursai, not even a Nevermore or a Deathstalker."

"They're probably rebuilding their numbers—"

"Or they could have suffered from the same thing that cause Mistral to collapse," he interrupted the Branwen. "Let's face it, Qrow. There is a larger threat out there that makes the Grimm look more like an annoyance, and both Ruby and Yang are out there trying to fight back."

"What Ruby should be doing is—"

"I'm not going to hear it," Taiyang interrupted again. "Now get it through that thick skull of yours that Ruby is fighting back a powerful foe, and that those fighters… the Valkyries, are real."

"You're still going on about that, Tai," Qrow questioned him, glaring at him. "There is no such thing as Valkyries. They're just a myth—"

"YET YOU BELIEVE THE TALES OF THE MAIDENS, THE RELICS, THE BROTHERS AND THE GRIMM QUEEN." Seething, Tai stood back up before grabbing the Branwen's collar, dragging him up. "I should have just listened to Summer and Raven all those years ago, and yet, YOU PUSHED ME TO NOT BELIEVE THEM!"

"Tai—"

"Don't even think about it." Calming down, he lets go of the collar, allowing Qrow to sit back down before continuing. "Just… if you are going to be staying here for a time, 'trying to find my daughter,' then I expect you to shut up and accept it."

"And if I don't?"

"Well, how would Ruby feel about an uncle who doesn't believe our family."

"I—"

Before Qrow could get into any detail, Taiyang's scroll began to ring out on the table, making the two men glance over to it as the blonde patriarch walked over to pick it up. As he did, he went wide eyed as his daughter's name was displayed before glancing at his guess, deadpanning as the scythe wielder shrugged his shoulders. Shaking his head, the father felt the scroll ring once more before answering, seeing it switch over to a visual and viewing her in her flight suit for the first time.

"Hey Ruby," he spoke out, already gaining Qrow's attention. "It's been so long since you called."

" _Sorry about that, dad,_ " her voice echoed in the scroll. " _I was so busy with work lately that I forgot to call._ "

"Hey, it's OK. If you were more focused on your work, then don't let me keep you away from it." He then thought about why she was calling before addressing it to her. "Rubes, why are you calling me right now anyways? I thought you would be over at Ragna, fighting the Var."

" _About that… things have gotten worse_." He then saw how downcast she became. " _Windermere had moved in with a full assault force and taken over both Al Shahal, and after we arrived… they launched an assault on Ragna._ "

"What does that mean…?"

" _We had no choice but to leave our home away from home, dad_ ," she simplified before shaking her head, giving a fond smile. " _But we also made sure that whatever they tried to get, they would have to 'pay' for it._ "

"That's good to know, Ruby."

" _But we lost someone during the war though, dad._ "

"WHAT," he became frantic, gripping the scroll with both of his hands as his eyes went wide. "Was it Yang? Please don't tell that it was Yang."

" _Yang's fine, dad, but she took the loss hard._ " She then sighed one more time before speaking out again. " _We lost our teammate Blake. She lost her life at Al Shahal before Windermere launched their main assault forces._ "

"I'm sorry to hear that, Ruby." He closed his eyes as he knew loss more than enough. "I just hope you girls are doing well."

" _It's OK. We're going to honor her in our ways… Yang cutting off her hair, Weiss promising to improve human/faunas relations and me inheriting her Valkyrie—_ "

"WHAT?"

" _Yeah, Yang gave herself a haircut_."

"Ruby," Qrow cut in, walking into the shot. "Where are you right now? Didn't you say you were going to Mistral?"

" _Sorry uncle Qrow,_ " she apologized. " _Something more important came up that I had to deal with_."

"More important than Cinder?"

" _Far more important_."

"Ignore him, Rubes," Tai interrupted, preventing Qrow from pressing further. "But he has a point. Where are you?"

" _I'm on my way over to Beacon Academy with the Ragnan refugee fleet. We're going to clean the place up before settling down, and I have a job to do._ "

"Wait, what sort of job?"

"And why Beacon," Qrow added in.

" _General Ironwood recommended it due to the size of the surrounding area, which should be more than perfect for the Island ship._ "

"What?"

" _Anyways, I have to go now,_ " she concluded on screen, smiling. " _If you want to see how far I've come, drop by sometime… though don't get discouraged by the size of the Macross._ "

"Wait, Ruby—" was all that Taiyang could get out of his mouth as his daughter shut off her connection to him via scroll, making the two men look at each other in confusion. Immediately afterwards, their surroundings darkened as a large shadow overtook the house's area, forcing the two of them to check outside through their window. As they did, their eyes widened in complete shock as the Ragnan refugee fleet flew over them on its way towards Vale, with the Chaos/N.U.N.S. escort fleet surrounding the Island ship and the Macross _Elysion_.

They weren't the only ones to see the shocking spectacle as the fleet was seen by the residents of Vale, and their reactions were a mix of confusion, fear and awe. In front of the fleet was a pair of VF-31 _Siegfrieds_ piloted by both the young Rose as well as the Ragnan pilot of the Delta Platoon, followed by a shuttle carrying Yang, Kaname, Weiss, Makina and Arad. Their destination was the ruins of Beacon Academy, where the sight of the frozen Wyvern greeted the pilots' eyes, as well as those on board the fleet, the _Elysion_ and Island Jackpot.

One of those pairs of eyes belonged to the Zentradi captain of the fleet, who watched in awe as the visual of the frozen Grimm popped up on the screen. If it had been a regular stone statue, he would have praised the architect for the dragon's design. However, after learning about the Grimm from the girls of RW(B)Y, he didn't want to take the chance of it awakening out of its stone prison before unleashing hell once more.

"I'd never thought I would see Beacon in a state like this," he turned to face Winter, who is now wearing a Chaos jacket over her Specialist uniform. "I've heard the reports, but I'd never think it would be this bad."

"As they say, 'seeing is believing,'" Ernest commented as the fleet drew closer to the academy ruins. "This is, rather, a first for the fleet to see a Grimm up close, even if it's a statue right now."

"You never had Grimm where you were from?"

"No, we didn't." He then looked back at the visuals. "But from what I am seeing, I'm certain the crew would rather face Windermere than go after one of those monsters."

"Well I have seen how your fighters have decimated my fleet with ease, even if you spared the men." Walking closer to his side, Winter kept her eyes on the visuals as she continued. "I'm fairly certain that your fleet and your fighters would have no trouble taking care of the Grimm."

"If only things were that simple." Crossing his arms, Ernest hummed as he spoke again. "We recently received new sponsors that will fund our operations, so money isn't the issue. Our issue is the supplies we'll receive that will keep us in shape for the battles to some."

"I see… and yet you're fine with deploying the fighters to deal with the frozen Wyvern."

"Our goal is to settle down and establish a base of operations," Ernest said out to her. "Your general was generous enough to send us here to settle down, provided we take care of an eyesore."

"Captain, Deltas 03 and 04 are in position," they heard Mizuki call out from her terminal. "The Shuttle carrying our ground teams are also ready to deploy."

"Alright." Thinking further, he smirked as he watched the two Valkyries in front of the fleet get closer to the statue before a thought came to mind. "Has Hayate and Mirage moved into position?"

"They're on standby with the Workroids," Beth announced to her captain, seeing him nod.

"Good. Commence the operation."

"Roger." Typing into her console, the operator connected to both Chuck and Ruby's comms. "Delta 03, Delta 04, you are cleared to move in."

"Roger," they acknowledged the orders as their VF-31 Siegfrieds flew closer to Beacon Tower, with the young girl gazing at the frozen dragon perched on the top. She still doesn't know how she had managed to freeze it in her tracks, as her mind back then was in shock over her friend Pyrrha's death in the hands of the mastermind Cinder. Her thoughts then drifted off over to the SV-262 Draken that was shot down at Atlas, thinking about why the Windermerean bears the same name as the deceased Mistralian champion.

"Oi, Ruby," she was stirred out her thoughts when she heard Chuck, making her look at the console. "Are you OK over there? You seemed way out of it."

"Sorry about that, Chuck," she apologized, shaking her head. "Just thinking about that day Beacon fell."

"It must have been pretty tough, huh? One moment, you were having the times of your lives in school, the next thing you know, everything goes to hell."

"Yeah." She then gripped her controls, staring down at the statue. "But now we're back, and we're going to make the school stronger." Seeing him nod, she switched her Valkyrie over into Gerwalk mode alongside the Ragnan, aiming their guns towards the stone dragon. "Ready Chuck?"

"Been ready since we got here. Let's tear it down the Chaos way."

Nodding in agreement, she sets the targeting systems over towards the frozen Wyvern, licking her lips as her hands traced the triggers to her weapons. Gripping them quickly, she opened fire alongside chuck at that stone Grimm, seeing the bullets soar and piercing through the body with ease. Chunks of the stone dragon were chipped off, falling down to the ground before shattering as the two _Siegfrieds_ destroyed the obstacle perched on the tower.

As they unleashed their ammunition on the statue, the young girl could already tell that the stones scatter on the ground instead of dispersing completely. Knowing that the Grimm is now considered dead, she continued to fire upon what was left of the body, watching the stone debris detach from the ruined building before crashing to the surface. She then shut off the assault alongside the Ragnan pilot, shifting her Valkyrie back into Gerwalk Mode before flying back to the front of the academy.

"Wyvern statue's taken care of," Ruby announced to the operators of the Elysion, pulling into a full stop. "Now going on standby."

"Roger that, 2nd Lt.," Nina acknowledged before addressing the Zentradi on the Macross bridge. "Captain, we are ready to proceed into phase two."

" _Captain_ ," they looked to see a visual of Reina as she made her own report. " _I've already begun to access the network systems here on Remnant, and I'm disappointed in how weak the firewalls are._ "

"What was that," Winter spoke to her, shocked to hear what the girl had said. "Our firewalls are among the finest our technicians have developed."

" _Compared to the security systems of both the N.U.N.S. and the Windermerean forces, Remnant's is mere child's play to me_. _No wonder why Beacon went dark due to a computer virus implanted into the mainframe._ "

"A virus?"

" _Yes, and one that can hide well from your programmers_." The Walkure singer then smirked as her holograms surrounded her fingers. " _However, place an experienced hacker into the mix, and the virus will be dealt with immediately._ "

"Why you—"

"Reina, instead of repairing the planet's communication network, see to it that you weave it into the Globular Network," Ernest commanded. "If Windermere knows the location of Remnant thanks to that attack, it won't be long until the N.U.N.S. follows."

" _Roger_ ," she nodded with a thumbs up before shutting off her connection to the bridge, allowing Ernest to sigh out before glancing over to the ruins. Thinking about what could have been for the school made the Zentradi worry about the future of the planet, knowing that Remnant has been dragged into the war against the Windermerean forces. Crossing his arms, he waited in anticipation as the operators continued their work, waiting for the moment to deploy Hayate and Mirage with the Workroids.

* * *

When they disembarked from the shuttle, Arad had already separated the search teams to look inside the academy grounds, leaving Yang to guard Kaname as they moved towards the dormitories. As they made their way over, the two stopped to watch as Ruby and Chuck's VF-31s destroy the frozen Wyvern as if it was nothing, whistling in awe as the stones collided with the ground before shattering. Getting back to their assignment, they went on with their search as they reached the school dormitories, entering the building after Yang blew the door off with her weapon.

As of weapons, Yang re-armed her Ember Celica gauntlet on her left arm while her prosthetic, designed by Makina, sported the same gun as the Valkyries, only on a smaller scale for her. While she was glad that she can still fight with her fists, it took her time to get used to the gun on her artificial limb, which she had used back on Ragna when she was getting used to the new arm. Looking to her side, Kaname was behind her, armed with only a side arm due to Arad's suggestion.

As they moved through the hallways, they felt nothing but sorrow as debris cluttered the ground, from broken doors blown off with explosive residue to the shattered glass from the now missing windows. Kaname gasped as a scratch marks, which Yang made out to be from beowolves, were visible on the walls, along with discarded weaponry from either the students that fought back to the White Fang. Gulping, the redhead looked towards the blonde girl, spotting her right arm slightly shaking.

"Yang," she spoke out, getting her partner's attention. "Are you OK?"

"Not really," the blonde solemnly muttered out to her, heavily sighing before keeping her eyes up front. "It's been a long time since I last went here… and yet it felt like yesterday that I went through the _Vytal Tragedy_."

"Oh… was it hard… going through such a harsh time?"

"Yeah, considering that we never saw it coming." Clenching her left hand into a fist, her eyes closed as she continued. "Though, I think it started when I was framed of breaking a leg."

"Can you elaborate?" Kaname flinched as Yang went stiff, gulping before pressing further. "I mean, if you want to or not."

"It's fine." Calming herself, the brawler turned around to face the Walkure singer. "The Vytal Festival was in its finals, and I was matched against Mercury Black, a guy who fought with his legs. At first the match went as smoothly as possible, but when I won, I heard him say 'There won't be a next time, Blondie.' The next thing I know, he lunged at me with his feet in the air, making me react in self-defence. However, everyone saw me punch his leg out when he offered me a hand."

"That's horrible."

"I told everyone what I saw, and only Ruby, Weiss… and Blake believed me." Thinking about her flashed back to the Al Shahal battle, where she remembered the raven haired girl lose her life to the Windermerean White Knight, something that Kaname noticed as the redhead placed her hand on the blonde's shoulder.

"Look, if you don't want to continue, I'll understand," she assured her, looking down. "We all lost someone important to us."

"No, you asked about it," Yang answered back as a tear crept out on her face. "It's only fair that I tell you."

"But I can tell that you're hurting, Yang." Letting go, the tactical sound unit leader backed away as she spoke again. "Only when you're feeling better and ready will I ask further, OK?"

"Thanks, Kaname."

"Anytime."

Giving a fond smile, the blonde turned back around, facing forward before continuing her pace with Kaname behind her. The Walkure leader now had a better understanding as to why Yang was feeling the way she is, thinking about the match that she described. Her only thoughts concluded that someone interfered in the fight between her partner and her foe back in the Vytal festival, though she can't figure out how that could happen.

While she kept thinking about it, the two members of Chaos continued to look through the abandoned dormitory, getting a better sight of the ruins in their eyes. Guns and blades lie on the ground collecting dust over the months, entryways and furniture torn to smithereens while bullet holes and feral scratch marks littered the walls. She caught a brief glimpse of decayed bodies, forcing the redhead to cover her mouth as her eyes went wide before moving closer to Yang.

As they moved through the halls, Yang had an uneasy feeling gut that something was amiss in the dorms, stopping as she spotted a doorway that was not blown apart and closed tight. Nodding to the sound unit leader, the blonde moved over to one of the sides, priming both her Ember Celica and the gun pod mounted in her prosthetic while Kaname moved to the other side. Placing her ear on the wall, she can hear the faint sound of movement on the other side, breathing in and out before making her move.

Getting off the wall, she raised her left hand in a fist as a round loaded into her shotgun gauntlet before punching the door down, the weapon blast adding more effect as the entranceway barrier was shattered. Before she could make another move, she was surrounded by a violet aura before being lifted off the ground, shocking Kaname as the blonde was launched back into the wall. Yang's back heavily collided with the surface, causing a crater to form around her as she collapsed onto her knees, making both her and the Walkure singer to look at the cause with the former's eyes widening.

In front of her was the combat instructor, hunched over and heavily breathing as her appearance looked more roughed than clean. Her white long sleeved, pleated top with a wide keyhole neckline and gauntlet cuffs sported both dirt and light cuts as her black high-waisted pencil skirt had a tear on her right side, ending at the waist. Her blonde hair, normally done up in a bun with a curl hanging down the side of her face, now loosely flowed down her back as the woman heavily panted from exhaustion.

"P-Professor Goodwitch," Yang muttered out in shock as the teacher raised her riding crop.

"L-leave this place," the woman spoke out in a hoarse voice, wincing as pain shot through her arm. "The school… it's not a… a safe place."

Before she could say anymore, Goodwitch collapsed from her exhaustion, only to be caught by two pairs of arms as Yang recognized the others. One of them was her Grimm studies teacher Peter Port, who spent most of his time in class to tell tales of his heroism while the other, Bartholomew Oobleck, told her the importance of history during her time as a student. Both teachers, held onto Glynda as the woman breathed heavily, showing great concern for her.

"Please, Glynda," Port pleaded with the blonde teacher. "You spent your energy repairing Vale for months. You need to rest."

"Peter is right," Oobleck agreed, helping his fellow instructor bring her back on her feet. "You can't exhaust yourself over everything. Take the time to lie down."

"Professor Port, Dr. Oobleck," Yang's voice echoed to them, making the two look at the blonde girl getting back up in shock.

"Yang," Port questioned, wiping his eyes. "Is that really you?"

"In the flesh." Wincing slightly, she walked over to the two of them. "It's been months since I last saw you guys."

"Indeed Yang," the history professor nodded before taking in her appearance. "What in dust's name are you wearing? And what happened to your hair?"

"Long story," she answered him before looking at Glynda. "What's wrong with her?"

"She simply overworked herself, Miss Xiao Long," Port answered her as the two teachers walked her over to the bed, laying the combat instructor down before facing the blonde. "She has spent months repairing the city with her semblance without taking a break. The toll's finally taken hold of her for the time being."

"Ahh."

"She was just about to lie down and rest until we heard the sound of gunshots," Oobleck added in, crossing his arms as he closed his eyes. "We thought the school was under attack, but when she was about to rush out, we held her back to prevent any injury on her."

"Yeah, sorry about that. Ruby and our friend were taking care of the frozen Wyvern."

"What do you mean by that, Yang?"

"Again, long story."

"Are they your teachers," they looked to see Kaname walk in, knowing that there is no danger.

"I'm sorry miss, but who are you," Port questioned the newcomer. "I never saw you in one of my classes, and I know everyone."

"Kaname Buckaneer," she introduced herself. "I happened to be working with Yang right now when we came here."

"Yeah," the blonde brawler agreed.

"I see." Looking at the prosthetic in Yang's possession, Oobleck's eyes went wide over how unique it looked. "Impressive. I have never seen technology like this before."

"Stick around, and you'll be seeing a lot of it," Yang simply told him before looking at the Walkure singer. "Kaname, can you inform the _Elysion_ over what we found?"

"Sure," the redhead answered her, getting her communicator and connecting to the _Elysion_ bridge. "Kaname reporting. We found three teachers hold up in the school dormitories, one under exhaustion."

" _Copy that, Walkure leader_ ," Nina's voice echoed, shocking the teachers. " _Commander Molders should be at the cafeteria alongside Specialist Schnee and Makina._ "

"Understood." Glancing over to Glynda, the redhead mentally thought about what to say before communicating again. "We're going to need a medical team on standby."

" _We'll have them ready once the fleet settles down. Keep the others company._ "

"Roger."

"Did that girl say fleet," Port muttered out before going towards the window with Oobleck, glancing out before going wide eyed over the sight of the refugee fleet hovering near the school grounds. However, the sight of the Macross behind the Island ship had made both men shocked beyond words, shakily glancing back towards the two girls. Only Yang could nervously laugh as Kaname sighed in her hand, knowing that she has a lot of explaining to do.

* * *

While Yang had the job of searching the dormitories, Weiss was chosen alongside the Valkyrie mechanic to search the other portions of the school, already sweeping through the classrooms before meeting up together. With only the cafeteria left to look over, the specialist, singer and commander moved towards the area, surveying their surroundings as they walked towards their destination. Fortunately, both the ex-heiress and Delta 01 were armed and ready to fight, with the former gripping Myrtenaster while the latter held onto his assault rifle.

Reaching the large cafeteria, both Arad and Makina gasped as the dining area was covered in debris, decayed bodies littering the ground as both wood and glass shards covered the area. One of the walls was blown apart as a hole welcomed their eyes, blast residue covering the surroundings. Claw marks and bullet holes coated the area as dried blood painted the walls, telling the two how bad the massacre was to them.

"This was where Blake told me where Yang lost her arm," Weiss spoke out to them, making them look at her as she held a down cast expression. "I'm certain that Yang had nightmares about what happened here after that."

"It's not just her though," Arad commented, glancing around the ruins. "Many young minds lost their lives here, and the ones responsible took away their chance of living their lives to the fullest."

"It's just sad that they lost their lives…" Makina muttered out, gulping. "I mean, the students only wanted to live out their lives the way they wanted."

"Only for extremists to take that away." Sighing heavily, Arad kept a firm grip on the gun as he moved forward. "Keep a close eye on your surroundings, look for anything out of the ordinary and call for us if you're in danger."

"Roger," both Weiss and Makina saluted before breaking off, with Weiss moving to the left, Arad taking the center and the right while the singer/mechanic moved over towards the kitchen. The ex-heiress wasn't thrilled to see her combat school in such a state after being away for months, realizing how much she had changed along with the girls of RW(B)Y. For herself, she had changed from being the closed off, snobby heiress to a girl capable of holding her own, whether with her Myrtenaster or in her VF-31 _Siegfried._

She then thought about how her team leader had changed, thinking back to when she had met the young girl. At first, she had thought that Ruby snuck her way into Beacon Academy, but after seeing her skills during their student days, she had come to accept the young reaper. Even when they had left to become Valkyrie pilots, Ruby had shocked her over how far she has come, from managing to pilot the VF-171 back in Mistral to her developed abilities in Blake's Variable Fighter.

She then thought about how Yang had grown, doing comparisons from their first meeting to now. The blonde initially came off as an irresponsible party girl who didn't care about her studies, but after a certain amount of time, Weiss grew to trust Yang with her back. She felt sorry for when the brawler lost her arm during the fall of Beacon, but was surprised to see her bounce back up when Ruby planned to train as a pilot. She was happy for her when Yang came through, even gaining a prosthetic through Makina.

While she was in thought, her foot tripped on a discarded skeletal arm, causing her to yelp before catching herself, looking to the ground to spot the cause. Near her foot was a decayed, skeletal right hand, but what was on it was made her go wide eyed before kneeling down to pick it up. Taking it in her hands, she stood back up as the familiar shape of one of Yang's shotgun gauntlets rested in her palms, collecting dust over the months of being left behind. Brushing the dirt off of it, she gently placed her rapier down before putting the gauntlet on her right arm, seeing it fit with ease as it shifted to look like a bracelet.

While she did that, Makina slowly walked into the kitchen, turning on the flashlight to get a better look at the surroundings. From what she's seeing, dozens of trays lay scattered and destroyed from the carnage that laid waste on the school, and the sight of dried blood coated the floor. She also spotted a lot of shattered dishes, making her sigh as she found nothing out of the ordinary.

"Makina," she jumped when she heard Arad's voice echo out to her. "Have you found anything on your end?"

"N-nothing yet, Commander," she announced back, calming herself for a second. "Just more dried blood and broken dishes."

"Gotcha. Weiss found something that belonged to Yang not long ago. She's going to hold onto it until she sees her after the search."

"OK."

"Remember my order," he called out to her. "Call out to me if you find something that doesn't belong."

"Kay."

Turning around, the mechanic immediately froze as her eyes went wide over the sight in front of her, shaking lightly as she broke out in a nervous smile. Glowing red eyes glared into her soul as a black body mass was in front of her, taking in the form of a werewolf. To add more intimidation, white bone armor sprouted out of its body as a skull coated its face, with glowing red outlines surrounding its eyes and nose as it breathed out towards her.

"Uh… h-hello there," she greeted the monster, slowly backing away as it approached her. "N-nice w-w-weather we're having, huh?"

The monster only growled as it leaned forward, now getting closer on all fours as Makina backed further from it, now scared after looking into its eyes. Looking over to her side, Weiss initially stiffened up before gripping her rapier, narrowing her sight as a Grimm made its appearance towards the singer. Creeping closer towards them, she held her weapon firmly in her left hand, noticing that the Grimm will lunge at any moment.

"MAKINA, GET DOWN," She flinched as she spotted Arad aiming his gun at the beowolf, and before she could say anything, the pink haired girl moved out of the way as the monster lunged forward, missing its mark. The Delta 01 pilot didn't waste any time as he opened fire on the monster, seeing the bullets impact both the Grimm and the surroundings as Makina moved away to a safe place. When he stopped to reload, the monster took the opportunity to lunge at him, only to be kicked away by Weiss' foot as she landed near him.

Seeing the beast groan as it got back up, she got ready for it alongside Arad as it pounced towards them, only to miss as they jumped and rolled out of the way. The Grimm then stumbled on its own footing as it collided to the ground, but as it got back up, it winced out in pain for a brief moment, surprising the ex-heiress/pilot. Steeling herself, she rushed towards it with Myrtenaster in hand, raising it and piercing through its chest.

Howling in pain, the Grimm stumbled back before gripping her form, pushing her away from the monster as it staggered out. Looking at the weapon embedded into it, the beowolf took the blade before pushing out, howling out in more pain before tossing the weapon to the side before getting on all fours. Looking at the two pilots, it let out one more growl as it approached the two humans, eager to kill them.

"So this is what you had to fight here, huh," Arad questioned, keeping a steel gaze as the Grimm got closer. "Doesn't look so tough."

"It's a beowolf, and judging from the bone armor, I have to guess that's an Alpha," Weiss informed him as her rapier was pointed towards it along with her CO's assault rifle, keeping her gaze as the Grimm stumbled during its approach. "But something's wrong with it. It's not moving as agile as alphas usually move. I guess that something is interfering with its train of thought, making it weaker than normal."

"Then we should use that to our advantage. Besides, Fido over there looks anxious about his new snack."

"What do you have in mind?"

"I lure him outside in the open while you inform the others." He then spotted the Grimm stumbling once more before continue. "We can't have Wolfy around causing trouble while we make repairs."

"Sounds like a Ruby kind of plan," Weiss summed up before nodding. "But it should work."

"Alright… on the count to three." With that said, his grip on his rifle tightened as he started to count down. "Three." He slowly crouched down as the Grimm growled. "Two." Weiss slowly backed away as he licked his lips, keeping eye contact with the monster. "THREE."

On instinct, he rushed towards the Grimm as the monster responded with kind, with the human making first contact as his shoulder impacted the beast's stomach before pushing it off of him and breaking off towards the outside. Colliding to the ground, the beowolf flailed restlessly before getting back on its feet, chasing after its new meal. As it was distracted by chasing Arad, Weiss took the opportunity to connect to both Ruby and Yang, getting close to Makina as the mechanic was beyond frightened.

"Ruby, Yang, can you two hear me," she called out to them on her communicator as she looked outside while the beowolf escaped her sight. "We have a Grimm in pursuit of Commander Molders. He's lured it out to the open, but I don't know how he'll manage."

" _ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME_ ," she winced as Yang shouted out before continuing. " _Alright, we'll be right over._ "

" _I see it from here, Weiss,_ " she heard Ruby call out to her. " _Seems like he's toying with it._ "

As she wondered what her team leader meant by the notion, Arad himself was having the time of his life as he kept avoiding the Grimm's strikes while reaching the courtyard, the monster not far behind. The Grimm briefly stopped to gaze at the refugee fleet's size, only to howl in pain as Arad shot at its arm and causing it to growl in pain. Looking at the one responsible, it crouched down on all fours before rushing towards him, getting close enough to swipe one of its claws. As it did, the pilot jumped back before firing another shot at its front paw.

"Come on, Fido," he taunted the Grimm, moving his hand in a certain motion. "Come get a taste of daddy."

Growling angrily, the beowolf lunged towards him once more, only to miss as he rolled out of the way before aiming his rifle towards it. As it collided with the ground, its body shook out uncontrollably, staggering it while it tried to get back up. Once it did, it growled once again at the human taunting it before glancing upwards, seeing the two VF-31s circling around it in Gerwalk as Yang and the teachers reached the Delta 01 pilot.

"Of all the types to encounter after months of being out, it had to be a beowolf," the blonde groaned out as Oobleck became awestruck by the Valkyries.

"INCREDIBLE," he shouted out, shocking the brawler. "A MACHINE THAT IS A CROSS BETWEEN A PLANE AND A MECH! TRULY MARVELOUS."

"Doc, focus."

"BUT YANG, DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND HOW IMPORTANT THIS CAN BE FOR THE FUTURE OF REMNANT?"

"You're asking me, one of the pilots, how important Valkyries are going to be when WE HAVE A FREAKING GRIMM ON THE LOOSE?"

Tired of their banter, the enraged Grimm howled out before lashing out at the group, shocking the teachers as Arad barely rolled out of the way in time as the others jumped from the attack. The only one who met the hit head on was Yang, who caught its paw mid-swing before tossing it over her shoulder, slamming it down to the ground. Both VF-31s were about to jump in as the pilots sat uneasy, with Ruby more accustomed to them while Chuck looked at the beast with shock.

While the beowolf's body shook out of control once more, Yang backed away as she never saw the Grimm react like that before. However, the Delta 03 plane's radar dish came out as the monster struggled to get back up, and the results that came in shocked the Ragnan. Once the beast got back up on its feet, it rushed at the blonde once more, swiping its claw at her while she moved to intercept, gripping it in wrist and applying pressure.

" _Guys, I'm getting a reading of 56.3%_ ," Chuck announced to everyone but the teachers, shocking both Arad and Yang. " _That thing is Var Infected._ "

"Grimm can go Var now," Yang asked out in shock, seeing it get up before glaring at her. "Oh come on…"

"Should we deploy Walkure to contain it," Arad asked out as Yang dodged the beasts swiped, exchanging attack for attack before answering him.

"Do you really think it is a good idea…" she paused as she intercepted a claw strike with her prosthetic, kicking it away before continuing. "…to sing for a monster that wants us dead?"

" _Yang has a point_ ," Ruby was heard on the comms as her Valkyrie shifted into Fighter Mode, flying up to the sky. " _We only need to kill it._ _Yang, Arad, can you get the Grimm in position_?"

"Sure, let us deal with a Grimm that's somehow Var infected," the blonde sarcastically called back, getting into her fighting pose. "We'll do what we can, Rubes."

Before Port and Oobleck could question her over what she meant, the Grimm ferociously howled out before rushing towards the humans with its claws out, jumping afterwards and swiping its paws. Only the blonde could react in time as she brought her arms up to block the hit, but as the claw collided, she winced out in pain as it scratched through her arm's flesh while blood was drawn. Groaning, she backed away slightly before launching her foot out in a kick, impacting the beowolf's stomach and pushing it back.

She then gripped her arm with her prosthetic, cursing out profanities as the Grimm collided with the ground before struggling to get back up. Oobleck, shocked to see Yang take on the attack without aura, ran over towards her while the beowolf regained its bearings, but as it was about to approach them, Arad and Port opened fire with their respective weapons near its paws, stopping it in its track. The monster growled as it crouched down, clearly enraged over being delayed from its kill as the pilot and professor kept their sights on the beast.

As it was about to pounce once more towards them, its ears flicked as the sound of a Valkyrie's thrusters echoed closer, making the monster look up to see Ruby's fighter coming in closer before shifting over into Battroid mode, landing behind the group of people and readying on of its gun pods. The teachers' eyes widened more as the weapon system took aim at the Grimm in front of them as the young girl licked her lips, setting her targeting on its form. Motioning its controls, her eyes narrowed in focus as her finger lay on the trigger.

"Jackpot," was all that she said before firing a round at the beowolf, seeing the bullet collide with the Grimm and surrounding its area in a cloud of smoke. The teachers stared in shock over the power of the VF-31's firepower through the one projectile, too shocked to say anything. The Battroid then lowered its arm as the weapon retracted back as the smoke cleared, showing no sign of the Grimm's form while the area of the impacted was left as a crater.

"That was a little overboard," Arad commented on Ruby's choice before contacting the _Elysion_. "Macross, this is Delta 01. The area is clear to land."

" _Copy that, Delta 01_ ," he heard Beth's voice on his communicator, looking up to see the _Elysion_ separate from the Island ship as they hovered over the academy. " _Delta 02, Delta 05, you are cleared to move in and commence repairs._ "

" _Roger_ ," Hayate and Mirage's voices echoed in sync as the sight of the Workroids jumped off the Macross, landing on the clearing surrounding the school before moving towards their positions while the refugee ascended higher in the skies. While the Professors watched in shock as the _Elysion_ 's thrusters flew the fortress until it was behind the school, turning around until it was facing towards Vale in the horizon. It then began to descend as the Island ship made its way towards the Emerald Forest, prompting the teachers to look at each other before moving towards the Macross' position to observe up close.

While they did, Yang stood in thought as her prosthetic gripped her injury, thinking about the Grimm they just faced after months of fighting both the Var and Windermere's forces. In her mind, she couldn't believe in the idea of a soulless creature of darkness somehow infected with the same illness that's affecting both civilians and N.U.N.S. personnel. The very same thought is going through Ruby's mind as well, more curious about the new development as the forces of Chaos got themselves situated in their positions.

"How…" she started as she thought about it. "How can a Grimm be a Var Infected?"

* * *

 **A/N: I'll just leave it off like this and let the suspense drive you nuts.**

 **It has been so long since I worked on a chapter for this crossover, and while I did plan on doing some up on January, video games and work slammed me hard. I thought that I would just use that time to at least take a break from typing for a while, only coming back in the middle of February with a new chapter for my other project that I decided to start and focus on. That doesn't mean that I have completely forgotten about this one, but that meant that I have to find a way to juggle between fics. Thinking further, I decided to do a monthly focus, where one month is set to one fan fic and all that.**

 **Now we see the forces of Chaos have made their way over to Beacon ruins, and have started on working to repair the school after dealing with the stone dragon and, shockingly, a Var infected Grimm. This will lead up to what I have lined up in a future chapter, but now Ruby knows why the Grimm whimpered out in pain in the first chapter. What else will happen now that the Macross** _ **Elysion**_ **has now settled down?**

 **Before I get to the review replies, I would like to take the time to talk about my other project labelled 'A Branwen's Past.' Simply put, it is a RWBY x God Eater crossover where its set after the events of GE2: Rage Burst, and features an OC character based on my avatar in game named Elena Branwen. I won't go into full details, but it shows how she will come to learn about her past while also going through the trials presented towards her. Additional characters that will support her will be the Blood Unit and Raven Branwen, a woman who bears the same last name as Elena. If you're ever interested, please give that a read and share your thoughts on it. I'm interested to hear what you have to say about the story as it is eleven chapters in.**

 **Review Replies:**

 **Alexwu704:** _ **Jacques, you are going to be a dead man sooner or later. You will regret those words.**_

 _ **Jaune, Nora, Ren, hopefully you guys are in one piece already.**_

 _ **The battle is interesting and good thing there are no Grimm in the area, otherwise things will get ugly.**_

 _ **P.S.: Weiss Schnee, good job showing the old man a thing or two on showing this idiot a lesson.**_

 **JN(P)R will be around in no time, don't worry.**

 **Xzorshio:** _ **Hey dude! Thanks for answering my questions and I'm glad that I told you about the upcoming Macross Delta movie soon. I just been super hyped reading your story immediately after meeting the creator himself last August and that's the time I checked out your story if I haven't mentioned that before. For my comments on the latest chapter, I can say you did well with the original arc for the Remnant part of the story as well as I'm surprised that Gale is actually Pyrrha Nikos. Maybe I really didn't pay attention on her description but what I really know is about her hair but hopefully next chapter or future chapters can explain why she has the same name as the Remnan Pyrrha. Another thing is that will Gale meet Jaune, Ren and Nora someday? For the technological level of Atlas military and the Xaos/NUNS forces, it's like comparing the tech to human-level and intergalactic-level where I remember some fanboys argue that Gundam can beat the VFs in which I can't certainly agree on technologically-wise.**_

 _ **Thanks for following my story. I still have to revise alot of including the grammar, some character descriptions and also gonna replace the Squadron to Flight since it is much more appropriate to the Delta Flight. I still have a long way to go. I might update my story soon because I am still currently busy writing my thesis outline. You know, priorities.**_

 **Why, thank you for the comments about my first chapter in the third arc, man. It's good to know that I worked on something that you enjoyed reading.**

 **To answer your question about Gale meeting JN(P)R, it will happen at some point in the arc, but I have to proceed further into it to reach that part.**

 **And I know that many people compare tech between series, species and all that. It annoys me too, as in my opinion, it's not always the technological advantage, but it's more on the lines of skill and experience. Sure, Atlas has skill thanks to** _ **Glacier Point**_ **having veteran pilots, but their only experience most of the time is fighting Grimm, and that can't help them if they're fighting a foe as complex and different as the Delta Platoon, who had experience with dogfights against other foes. The same can be said if someone were to pit an experienced Gundam pilot against a veteran ace Valkyrie pilot, as a battle like that would drag on. A fight like that would have different outcomes.**

 **And hey, don't overwork yourself when you get to update your fic. Take some time to think about how you want it to go, and the rest should follow.**

 **Yuiharime:** _ **Such a lovely and action-packed chapter. And love how Weiss stands up against her father, hopefully Whitley gets his butt-whoop if he makes any appearance.**_

 **I guess I'm not the only one who doesn't like Jacques and Whitley. To me, they are so closed-minded.**

 **Wee-0wee-0:** _ **I can't believe I had many things that I hate in this world… Jacques included. Great chapter, can't wait for Jaune Arc to finally appear again! And oh, Nora and Ren as well.**_

 **Hey, you're not the only that doesn't like Jacques. And you're hoping that I add Jaune in sooner or later, aren't you?**

 **XY Kid:** _ **A very welcoming chapter! And yeah, Jacques is an asshole! Weiss should have slugged him in the face.**_

 **Oh trust me, Jacques will get what's coming towards him, courtesy of Weiss herself in the future.**

 **Marcus the Kane:** _ **Bzzzttt…**_

 _ **Marcus: I'm gonna slug Jacque's face! I swear, what for!**_

 _ **Dan: Forget slugging him on the face! Let's kidnap him, break his neck, put him inside a bag and throw his in a nearby gulf!**_

 _ **Chris: Uhh... too much information...**_

 _ **bzzzttt...**_

 **How many people are with you when you're reviewing?**

 **Tendaysromeo:** _ **Great chapter! A decent mix of action and family drama. Jacques deserves to be incinerated! How dare he slap Weiss, when I get my hands on him! And Oh! Jaune Arc please!**_

 **That was my thought in Volume 4 when he slapped her, so I'm glad I typed her judo-throwing the asshole in the chapter. And how many people want Jaune? Damn…**

 **Duelgundam:** _**Yo, Duel here. I'm back! And with an account this time! So you can bitch back at me via PM now! *sudden "Mega Deth Party" for lateness* argh!**_

 _ ***dusting off dust* ahem! Anyway, I couldn't do the reviews earlier because, well, "life" happened. So here we go.**_

 _ **Ahh...the "incident"(Hayate and Mirage's "TV moment") I was referring to happened, and I'm surprised Ruby didn't go red face at that.**_  
 _ **(TBF, it WAS kinda hilarious on TV)**_

 _ **And team Ragna kicked major Atlas ass, and nice to see Winter's salt just wash off the moment she learns that one of the people kicking her troop's collective asses was Weiss.**_

 _ **Oh, Jacques, likes dishing out the authority, but can't take it well when it gets shove right back in his face, now can he? And I thought his main series persona was a hella big control freak. Boy , was I WRONG, seeing that you managed to write him up as an even BIGGER asshole was in this fic, now you just need to give him an apple to eat "on-screen" to make him look like even more of an asshole. Nice to see your Jacques being a salty ass, too.**_

 _ **even if it's Phyrra, don't you think she was pushed back a LITTLE too easily? Maybe she could've at least take the Messiah out of commission, force Rose to upgrade to a YF-29B Perceval(YF-29 Durandal's N.U.N.S homeland trial model)**_

 _ **Looking forward to seeing how those Nightmares got there in the first place. It'd better be worth the hype you're raising for it.**_

 _ **P.S. Immature Bogue is immature.**_

 **I was wondering where you went. And I'll just stick with replying back to you in my chapters instead of PMing back. It's easier for me that way. And I understand how life is. (** _ **cursing about the rent adjustments**_ **)**

 **Oh, that incident. I thought you were referring to something from RWBY volume 4, but now that I think about it, it was funny. As for why Ruby didn't go red face over it, let's just say that she did some growing while working as a Valkyrie pilot. She's bound to grow up eventually, right?**

 **Yeah, I missed Winter since I didn't see her in Volume 4, so I thought about how she would react if she fought a foe such as the Ragnan refugee fleet and the Delta Platoon. Despite her militaristic way of thought, she does deeply care for Weiss, something that Jackass (Jacques) doesn't do.**

 **Well, with how much more info we got in Volume 5 about him, only caring about the family name, I really started to hate him more. That hate was translated into the chapter about how much of an ass he was in it, even going so far as to slap her and accuse Chaos of abducting her.**

 **While thinking back, I know I should have made the fight between Ruby and Gale longer, but that would mean making that chapter longer than I wanted. I hope you can understand about that.**

 **And yes, Immature Bogue is immature.**

 **Shidou Haruka:** _ **Just stumbled on this and I have to say this is interesting. Pyrrha/Gale will be Ruby's rival like Keith and Hayate huh. And my heart stopped when you killed Blake alongside Messer in**_ _ **閃光の**_ _ **AXIA. And Atlas got their asses handed to them and that is just by deploying Delta. Can't imagine if**_ **Elysion** _ **is deployed. Good job so far. Ohh and I have a fun suggestion. No need to take it seriously since it's just a thought, a joking one. Why not pair Jaune with Mikumo?**_

 **The author of** _ **Infinite Stratos Delta**_ **has stumbled on this? Man, thank you for taking the time to look at this rare find of a crossover.**

 **I know, and I thought I was going to get a lot of hate for killing Blake in that chapter, despite how I thought about it before working on that chapter. Though, my one friend liked the thought about Blake dying to the point where he would call it his favorite part.**

 **As for the suggestion… I can't help but picture the many fun one shots that would occur if I did. Especially if Jaune stumbles on one of her 'naked' moments… the thoughts that come to my mind.**

 **Also, I'm curious about this: I know that you have a lot of ideas (and I mean a lot), but when will you eventually update** _ **Infinite Stratos Delta**_ **?**

 **Kylesilos22:** _ **So is Pyrrha Gale actually just a person who coincidentally looks like Pyrrha Nikos and is not the Pyrrha who died? Because something something Arkos something. Also, STRQ reunion when? And will you follow the plot of vol. 5 and it's an AU afterwards?**_

 **That will be explained in a future chapter, Kyle, but I can say that it involves an N.U.N.S. secret project (Because it's the N.U.N.S., how many secret projects do they have during the wars).**

 **The STRQ reunion would occur eventually, but it's going to be an awkward one. Raven would be glad that Summer's back, Taiyang would be in shock and Qrow… well, you saw how he acted when Valkyries were mentioned.**

 **And in terms of following Volume 5… I'm not going to follow Volume 4's events. This fic is set right after Volume 3 that goes to follow Macross Delta's events, then an original arc before going back to Macross, ending with an epilogue. All that Volume 4 did was give me ideas for the character's time skip outfits.**

 **I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. What do you think? Leave a Favorite, Follow and Review.**

 **With that out of the way, I'm BlazefireDrago, signing out.**


	21. Breaking the News

**Disclaimer: RWBY is owned by Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth Productions, while Macross is owned by Shoji Kawamori and Studio Satelight.**

* * *

While the forces of Chaos slowly got accustomed to the atmosphere provided by Remnant, it was no surprise to know that the still have work to do. Ever since the search teams have scoured the ruins of Beacon Academy, they have deployed the Workroids to begin the repairs, led by Hayate and Mirage as the former has experience in the job. It was difficult at first, but as the young Immelmann pointed out the damages and what to do, the PMC forces mobilized to make the school more presentable while implementing their technology and systems into it at the same time.

Of course, Chaos wasn't the only one who had to adjust to the changes as when Glynda woke up from her state beforehand, she was livid when she found out that a crater formed where the Var infected Grimm once stood, but it pales when she took in the sight of the _Elysion_ standing behind the school. She wouldn't have believed that a fortress of the Macross' size would ever exist, but after seeing the stationed mobile base along with the Island Ship docked on the Emerald Forest, she held back any remark towards her beliefs. Heavily sighing to herself, she moved to assist in the repairs, being watched over by her fellow teachers to ensure she doesn't overwork herself.

As the repairs were underway by the combat instructor and the Workroids under Hayate's instruction, Makina and Reina didn't waste any time to send out drones to the kingdoms, replaying the message of Beacon's revival as **ジリティック** **Beginner** played in the background. Their advertisement depicted the two in Beacon uniforms, announcing that the school would be reopened soon through the efforts of Chaos, instantly changing into their stage outfits as they welcomed the students back in their way. The mechanic and hacker pair only hoped their message came through, knowing that it's only a matter of time.

It was for that reason that Yang was placed at the front of the academy in the early dawn, yawning as the morning sun slowly rose in the horizon. Her shoulder length hair flowed in the winds as she stared out to the open, her hand holding onto the mug of coffee made earlier to keep her awake. She heavily sighed as she took another sip of the hot drink, thinking about the eventual reunion between her team and their friends.

"Couldn't sleep, huh," she turned around to see Mirage walking up to her with her own mug of coffee in hand. "Trust me, I know. Thoughts tend to keep an experienced soldier up at night."

"I'm not so sure about me being an 'experienced soldier,' Mirage," the blonde commented as the half-Zentradi sat down beside her before looking out to the horizon. "I'm just not sure how my friends will take the idea of a Macross behind the school. Most of them probably never heard of the term until now."

"This world has lived in complete isolation, free from N.U.N.S. influence, Yang." Taking a swig out of her hot beverage, the Jenius pilot sighed as she gazed at the city of Vale. "Under normal circumstances, the idea of humans living off this planet would be too farfetched."

"But these aren't normal circumstances. Grimm suddenly being Var infected, Windermere decimating the Atlas military, the whole Kingdom of Vale seeing the refugee fleet… I can keep going if you want me."

"But still, now your friends are going to experience seeing a Macross standing…" She then lowered her head as Yang looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "That is, if any of them answered the call."

"I'm certain that some of them will come," the blonde said firmly, taking another sip out of her coffee. "What's left of JNPR that went with Ruby before all of this would show up. I'm not sure about the others, though."

"Guess we'll have to wait and see." The Delta 02 pilot then remembered something before bringing it up. "By the way, Yang, Chuck and Arad left early to head into Menagerie."

"Why?"

"Blake's parents live there," she told her, seeing the brawler's eyes widen in surprise before looking down with a solemn expression. "It's hard, I know, but they have to tell her family what happened to her. It's not going to be easy for them."

"I understand. A kid's heart would break if they find out their parents are not coming back if something were to happen, and a parent's heart would break if they learned their worst fear has been realized."

"I know." Mirage then sighed before taking another sip, gulping down the hot beverage before speaking again. "They're going to need a lot of time to take in the news."

"Yeah."

"Yang, do you worry that…"

"My dad told Ruby and I to be careful out there, fighting the Var," Yang replied back, setting her mug down. "I think, deep down, he still worries too much, but his heart is in the right place… from when Summer was gone from our lives to now."

"He didn't know that Summer went to become the White Rose?"

"All we had heard back then was that she died in a mission."

"Oh."

"So imagine our surprise when we find out that not only was mom alive, but also a veteran Valkyrie pilot."

Nodding, Mirage finished her coffee and kept the mug in her hands, about to stand up before noticing something off the horizon. Looking more closely, she made out the Remnant version of the shuttles the girls called bullheads, but what was odd was how it was being flown towards the school. Not only that, but the familiar sound of Walkure's **不確定性** **COSMIC MOVEMENT** echoed out of the dropship as it got closer towards them.

Initially curious, both pilots' expressions turned into shock as the bullhead shook out of control as it descended, trying to fly as if it was one of the Valkyries. Not wanting to become a casualty, the two of them rushed away as the dropship came further until it reached the school, crashing its nose into the pavement near them. Ground debris scattered all over as the vessel slowly began to die down, indicating them that either the pilot of the bullhead died, or was a reckless flyer.

Both Yang and Mirage looked at each other in confusion over why the bullhead transport crashed onto the ground near Beacon, but they tensed as steam came out of the side bay doors. Being the only one armed, the blonde got out the weapon system out of her prosthetic arm, aiming it at the downed aircraft as the vessel opened up. It didn't take long for her to spot someone come out as an occupant rushed out of the vessel before reaching the grass, vomiting the ground as his hands were on his knees.

"The hell," Yang commented before recognizing the person vomiting. "Jaune?"

"You know him," her fellow pilot asked her as the blonde lowered her arm and nodding.

"Yeah, I know him. Though, it looks like Vomit Boy struck again."

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING VOMIT BOY," the young man that hurled shouted out as he faced them, only for his eyes to widen as dark blue meets lilac. "Y-Yang? Is it really you, or am I dreaming this thanks to the motion sickness?"

"It's me, Jaune," she assured him, walking up to him and patted him in the back. "Glad to see you're OK… well, as OK as a person who lost his breakfast."

"Blame Nora…" shakenly lifting his arm, he pointed at the bullhead wreckage. "She thought she could, and I quote her, 'try to imitate Ruby by flying the way she has.' All it did was making my motion sickness worse than it already is."

"I did offer one of my algae drinks, didn't I Jaune," the group looked over to spot Ren as he got out of the crashed airship carefully, smiling as he spots Yang. "And it's good to see you on your feet, Yang."

"Hey, nothing will keep this girl down," she answered back to him, offering her prosthetic to him to offer a handshake, seeing him take it as she spoke again. "Besides, how else am I going to watch over my sister?"

"A sound reason." He then looked over to take in the sight of the _Elysion_. "We received the message that Beacon was getting fixed by Chaos, and we came as soon as we can. But I never thought I would get to see a sight such as this."

"Of course, Nora decided that she wanted to fly the bullhead we were on and get here fast enough before the rush," Jaune added in, finally calmed down to move. "Needless to say, I thought we were done for."

"Oh, quit being a crybaby and be a man already," Nora called out as she came out of the wreckage. "And be glad that we made it out of it alive. If we had stuck with one of those pilots back at the dock, we would have been late for the surprise."

"Nora, your definition of a surprise is hiding yourself in a cake and then burst out when the time was right."

"Oh, are you still salty about—"

"YES, I'M STILL SALTY ABOUT MY BIRTHDAY LAST MONTH," he shouted out, pointing out at the other male present. "I'm surprised that Ren was OK with his, but I didn't ask for one of my friends dressed in a revealing bathing suit pop out of my favorite cake."

"Wait, what," both Yang and Mirage commented as they listened in.

"Jaune, maybe you should wait to have this conversation elsewhere," Ren pointed out before looking at Yang. "By the way, I'm surprised to see your hair like that."

"And you let yours out freely," the blonde brawler pointed out. "Any reason?"

"Just felt like I needed a change. And you?"

"Same as you… though, mine's a lot more difficult." She then looked at the remains of JNPR with a solemn look. "We lost Blake during our fight out there."

Hearing that, the three teammates of JN(P)R were in shock as their eyes widened in fear, with each of them expression their version of grief. Jaune placed his hands on his head as he began to mutter, asking how it was possible. Nora lost all of her energy as the thought of losing another friend entered her mind, and by clutching her hand near her chest, she let out a few tears as memories of Blake entered her head. As for Ren, his eyes were covered by his hair while closed, looking up to the sky to say a mental prayer for his fallen friend.

"It's tough," they heard the blonde girl continue as she lightly wiped the tears off her own face. "But we're pulling through with her in our hearts. Because of that, Weiss fought back against her asshat of a father, I've had my first haircut in forever and Ruby… she's flying Blake's fighter now."

"But… how did Blake…" Jaune muttered out, keeping his eyes to the ground.

"We'll explain that when we get inside, Jaune." Looking up in the sky, she sighed before turning to face the school under repairs. "Maybe grab a bowl of the Ragnan Tuna special in the Island ship as we talk."

"How good is it," Ren asked as he was curious about it.

"Very good. So good that it usually gets snagged by a certain mercat."

Getting a laugh from the others, she turned around and motioned the team to follow her before heading off towards the Island ship, followed by the three man team. That left Mirage alone to think about the situation as she watched the horizon while the skies lightened up, letting her admire the scenery before going back to work. Sighing one more time, the half Zentradi turned around before walking towards the rebuilding, intent on finishing her part of the job.

Unknown to all of them, standing on the _Aether_ , Summer kept watch over the horizon as the skies lightened further, her focus more on the school under repairs by Chaos' personnel. To her, it felt like it was yesterday when she had discovered the VF-25 that would become her signature Valkyrie alongside her teammate and friend Raven Branwen, with Qrow and Tai not believing her about the fighter's existence. She thought that Taiyang was more pressured by the younger Branwen twin when Qrow made his case, even when they were first years at Beacon themselves.

It then focused to when she was trying to keep the _Messiah_ concealed when her Headmaster at the time declared an all-out search. However, when she had been working on it at the time, she had accidentally awakened a threat far bigger than the Grimm as a Vajra escaped containment from the place she found her fighter, making its way to the surface, shocking her fellow student body and forcing her to fight it head on. Afterwards, she made it a point to head to the Frontier Colonization Fleet years afterwards while she was one of the four that knew the secret of the Valkyrie, the others being Raven, the Headmaster and Ozpin, who would take the position after graduation.

Heavily sighing, she shut off her mind before more of her memories surfaced, some happy and some not so happy. Glancing back at her VF-25 _Messiah_ , she opted to take the fighter for a spin, only to shake her head as she might accidentally scare off the bullheads that would come sooner. Looking back down, she smirked as she had a feeling Glynda would be livid to know a Remnant shuttle crashed on the surface before heading back inside the _Elysion_ , figuring that she would have a bowl of ramen from Ragnyannyan alongside Yang and her friends.

In her mind, she wondered where Raven would be.

* * *

Menagerie: a landmass in the southeast of Remnant where most of the faunas population resides in one third of the continent. While the people there had made the most of it and made a stable community on the ground, the rest of the land remains uninhabitable due to the other two thirds being a harsh desert teaming with dangerous wild life. Regardless, the faunas continued to live their lives in peace on the island, making the city of Kuo Kuana the capital of Menagerie.

Despite the lack of a CCT tower in place on the island, the inhabitants continued their lives as usual, though their day became more shocking as the sound of an unusual sound echoed in the people's ears. Looking at the source, the faunas watched the horizon as two objects unknown to them approached the island in high speeds. Up close, the two VF-31 _Siegfried_ s belonging to Arad and Chuck flew to the island from the _Elysion_ with the intention of speaking to Blake's parents, with the latter confused as to why he was chosen.

"Uhh, Arad," he called out to his senior officer on the comm. "Is there any reason why you picked me to come along with you, sir?"

"From what Reina told me," Arad started out, appearing in the Ragnan's screen. "The human race gave the faunas this island after the great war many years ago, with many faunas seeing it as a huge slap in the face. So far, the population made a living here, and their chieftain happens to be the father of a pilot we lost to the White Knight."

"Blake's?"

"Yeah, and as commander of the Delta Platoon, it's my duty to inform her family what happened to their daughter." He then sighed as the landmass got closer to them. "I always hated this part of the job, though. You won't know what sort of emotions will come after the news hits."

"Messer all over again," the Ragnan commented in sorrow, remembering his sister's reaction to the former Delta 02 pilot's death. "But exactly why was I chosen to accompany you?"

"Considering that there are no humans living on the island, the people there would get suspicious if I met with her parents alone. By having you with me, they would see that I'm being helped by a 'fellow faunas,' causing less trouble between me and the locals."

"I'm fairly sure they'll still be suspicious with our Valkyries." As they reached the island's airspace, Chuck then watched in awe over how the city looked before addressing his CO. "So, which place are we going towards?"

"Reina confirmed that after leaving the White Fang to a new leadership, Blake's father went on to become Menagerie's chieftain," Arad answered him. "We just have to go to the largest estate on the island and land our Valkyries near it."

"Aye, Sir."

Flying over the settlement in the direction of their destination, both Delta pilots shifted their fighters over into Gerwalk mode before slowing their pace, descending in the process. Many of the faunas thought it would be the end of their culture as the machines drew closer to the Belladonna residence, choosing to rush back towards their homes and staying in the alleyways. Spotting the large home near the town, the VF-31 _Siegfried_ s lowered themselves further before touching down, shutting down in the process as the cockpits opened.

Jumping off their machines, the two pilots took off their flight helmets before placing them underneath their shoulders, walking towards the front of the estate. Both their minds raced as to how they're going to break the news towards Blake's family as they walked towards the entrance, with the senior clearing his mind while closing his eyes. Opening them right after, he gripped the door handle as he let out a long sigh, ready to get the residents' attention.

"This is going to be a long day," he commented as the Ragnan nodded.

"Well, there's no time like the present," Chuck spoke up as the human of the duo moved the handle before knocking on the door, flinching as a large sound echoed in his ears. "OK, that… was intimidating."

"Tell me about it."

The sound of a doorknob turning grabbed the pilots' attention as the entrance opened up, revealing a woman in her late thirties with distinctive cat ears on her head, wearing a traditional garb over her body. The woman was shocked to see a human alongside the Ragnan, only for her eyes to widen further as she took in the sight of the two VF-31 _Siegfried_ s dormant by her home. Gulping, she faced the two guests as her ears lowered, her yellow pupils scanning the two of them.

"M-May I help you," she asked the two of them, her voice showing traits of fear. "I-I'm sorry, b-but it's been some time since I saw a human."

"I understand, madam," Arad assured her, taking in her appearance before giving a solemn look. "Are you, by chance, Kali Belladonna?"

The faunas flinched as she heard her name before nodding. "That is correct… I am Kali… may I ask why you wish to know?"

"I see," the human muttered under his breath before speaking again. "Forgive my friend and I's sudden appearance, but I assure you we mean no harm." He then offered his hand slowly to her. "I am Arad Molders, commander of Chaos' Delta Platoon, and the man alongside me is Chuck Mustang. We're here on behalf of our captain to speak to you about your daughter."

"Blake? Is she in trouble? Please, tell me—"

"Nothing of that sort." The Delta 01 pilot's expression lowered as he continued. "However… what you may hear… will be—"

"Kali," a booming male voice echoed as the group looked to see a towering, bulky male approaching them as the man spoke. "Who is it?"

"People that know Blake, honey," Kali answered him as he came closer to examine the two guests, humming in thought before glancing at the Valkyries. "I'm shocked that they have those, Ghira."

"So those caused the noise earlier," the newly identified Ghira commented before looking at the two, surprised by Arad's appearance. "It's been some time since I last saw a human. What brought you here, if I may ask?"

"To answer your question, we're here to speak to you about your daughter," Arad replied back, glancing back at Chuck and motioning him towards their fighters before facing the couple. "However, you may not believe a word we have to say, but it must be said."

"Considering that you and your… friend flew all this way to Menagerie in those machines… That tells me you went through great lengths travelling from Atlas."

"We actually came from Vale, sir." He then saw the Ragnan come back with the familiar drink from their day of mourning. "Pardon the intrusion, but may we please enter? I prefer giving the news out while sitting."

The Belladonna Patriarch could only chuckle before ushering them in. "Please, come on in, then. We have much to discuss if your tone is anything of an indicator."

The man nodded as they entered the estate, with Chuck holding onto the banana sake in hands as Kali closed the doors behind them. Following the large male, Arad's mind began to process what he is about to say about their daughter, knowing he has to explain where he came from and the war against Windermere. Once they got to what could be the living room, the patriarch motioned his guests to sit down as his wife left, returning with supplies to make tea for them.

"Now, what is it that you wish to tell us, Arad Molders," Ghira called out as he sat down in front of the pilot. "And why do you think we wouldn't believe a word you say?"

"To understand what we're going to tell you, we must first ask you a question," Arad responded as Chuck poured the sake into their dishes while the patriarch gripped his tea. "What is your honest opinion on life beyond Remnant?"

"Life beyond?" Humming in thought, the large man closed his eyes as he drank out of his tea before answering back. "It would be near impossible with the way Remnant's technological advances are now, and the looming threat of the Grimm kept us away from finding out."

"I see." He then sighed before continuing. "It is impossible for Remnant itself to reach out and branch off to other planets... but Chuck and I aren't from this world." Seeing their eyes widen in surprise, Arad was handed a datapad from his Ragnan ally before turning it on, expanding its visuals for them to see. "You see, we came from Remnant's neighbor planet Ragna, a world with a vast ocean and was our base of operations at one point."

"At one point?"

"Yeah. In fact, the Delta Platoon was here months ago when Mistral was devastated. Thanks to our hacker friend Reina, we learned the officials here labelled it as 'a Grimm born virus,' but they could be more far from the truth." Giving them a minute to absorb the information, the pilot gulped down his sake before speaking again. "It's a type of illness that affects a person's body functions, with the symptoms being an increase in body mass, a lack of reason and a desire to cause as much havoc as possible. It's gotten to the point where we classified it as the Var Syndrome."

"The Var Syndrome," Ghira repeated as he mentally pictured the effects while keeping an eye on the visuals.

"Is it dangerous," Kali asked them, causing Arad to hum out before answering her.

"Beforehand, it was just a few isolated incidents," Chuck took control of the conversation, pouring himself another helping of sake. "But after what happened at Randor and Voldor, we found out that a sovereign nation, Windermere, have been using the Var to take control of most of the cluster, declaring war on the N.U.N.S."

"After that, Windermere has been annexing worlds into their control, using the Protoculture ruins to their advantage," Arad informed them. One such world was Al Shahal, the place where we lost our best pilots. One 1st Lt. Messer Ihlefeld… and one Specialist Blake Belladonna."

The couple then gasped as they heard their daughter's name as he switched over to the mentioned faunas' file, showing her track record as well as her information. Kali in particular shook as the girl shown in the information was the girl they had raised through the girl's childhood. Glancing over to the cause of death, she began to hyperventilate as it read 'pierced by Windermere's White Knight' until she broke down, collapsing on the table crying while her husband clutched his hand into a fist.

"Dammit," he cursed out, his eyes closed as a tear came down. "Blake, you weren't supposed die before us. You had a whole life ahead of you."

"I'm sorry for breaking the news to you, Mr. Belladonna," Arad apologized, knowing full well how the news is affecting them. "She was a good girl, and a skilled pilot. I'm certain you would have been proud of her."

"Just one thing, though…" He looked at the patriarch's eyes as Ghira continued. "Did Blake… did she at least leave anything behind?"

"She did, sir. She left her will towards the rest of her team, and it has affected them to a tee. Her partner, Yang, had cut her hair in her wishes, Weiss chose to disown herself from the Schnee family, telling us beforehand that she would help improve faunas relations, and Ruby… Ruby is in possession of both her weapon and her VF-31 _Siegfried_."

"I see…" Sighing heavily, he looked at the senior officer before offering a fond smile. "As long as her memory is being preserved… that's all I ask for." He was about to speak once more when the sound of the door knock echoed, forcing him to curse out. "Dammit, I forgot about the meeting today."

"Meeting?"

"Yeah, just give me a moment," was all that the large man said as he stood up, making his way to the entrance and having the two visitors look at Kali in curiosity.

"What was that all about," Chuck asked the faunas, seeing her sniff once more as her eyes were now red from the crying.

"Just poor timing, I assure you," she answered them, wiping her face with her hand. "He can always reschedule, but it's been hard dealing with them lately."

"Dealing with who," Arad pressed.

"Why, the White Fang."

Both Chuck and his CO jumped up after hearing the organization's name, already knowing what the group did to Beacon from Ruby and her team months ago. Looking at each other, they both nodded as they rushed over to the front entrance, leaving the woman alone in the process. Spotting Ghira along with two unknowns, the pilots slowed their pace as the two new appearances glanced over towards them.

"Humans," the one unknown with large fox ears commented as the two stopped near the patriarch. "I thought for sure that Menagerie doesn't allow humans to step foot without a permit."

"We're here on business," Arad coldly stated before looking at the large man. "Who are these people?"

"Fennec and Corsac Albain, the representatives of the White Fang here in Menagerie," he answered the human pilot before continuing. "I was just explaining why I shouldn't hold the meeting today after what I heard."

"He mentioned something about a time of mourning," the faunas with the tail commented, his voice displaying calm. "Of course, he didn't say who he was mourning for. Speaking of, Ghira, we apologize in advance if it was a bad time to speak with one another."

"We wish you the best in your efforts of recovery, Chieftain Belladonna," his partner continued before facing the two pilots, specifically at Arad. "As for you, human, I think it wise for you to take the time and leave Menagerie and never return without a permit—"

"That's rich, coming from a group of extremist assholes," Chuck interrupted with a glare. "We heard what your men did to Beacon months ago, unleashing monsters into the school and killing civilians. What the hell is wrong with you?"

"CHUCK," Arad shouted out, calming the Ragnan down before glaring at the two representatives.

"You shouldn't be shouting at one of our own, human," the representative with the tail commented. "The way you speak is one of the reasons why the faunas wish for their equal rights—"

"I'm not one of your kind, pal," the Ragnan interrupted again. "And Arad is my senior officer. I'd rather listen to him that one of you lunatics."

"But—"

"THAT'S ENOUGH," Ghira's voice echoed in their ears as the Belladonna male glared at the two White Fang members. "I'm having a bad enough day as it is. I have heard news that would confirm a parent's worst fears, and then I have forgotten about our meeting, and when I was about to explain why I shouldn't hold it, you have shown disregard towards one of my guests simply because he is a human."

"What do you mean," the member with the ears asked out.

"My daughter Blake is no longer among us. My wife is still in shock over the news."

Both Albains stopped as they heard the reason for the Belladonnas' mourning, now understanding Ghira's attitude at the moment. Sighing heavily, Ghira looked over towards the pilots and nodded towards them before facing the two faunas, intent on finishing his conversation. Looking upwards, Fennec and Corsac gulped as the glare they were receiving was not pleasing to them.

"Chieftain Belladonna," Corsac pleaded, lowering his own gaze. "We had no idea that you are suffering from the tragedy of losing your child."

"Blake was once good friends with sister Ilia during her time with," Fennec added, following his brother's movements. "She would be completely saddened when we tell her what happened to her. May we ask how she died?"

"Killed… by a fighter known as the White Knight," Ghira answered them, not including Windermere in his statement. "But her fight is carried on by her team… something that the White Fang lacks now."

"We understand. Your mistrust in the White Fang is understandable, especially with the accusations of our organization having a hand in Beacon's fall." Fennec then glared at Arad before returning to a neutral facial expression as he continued. "Just know that the actions the White Fang in Vale took were under orders of one Adam Taurus, and because of his decisions, we have labelled him and his followers a splinter faction that does not represent the will of the White Fang."

"Is that so," Arad commented, frowning. "Then he's going to be difficult to apprehend."

"However, ever since the Mistral tragedy months ago, Brother Adam has not been himself lately, especially with the illness he contracted."

"Increased muscle mass, his veins almost popping out of his body, and the constant muttering about this… 'Windermere,'" Corsac summarized, which earned a frown from the Delta 01 pilot.

"He's Var Infected," Arad pointed out, walking closer to them. "If he's muttering about Windermere at this stage, then it's a clear sign that he is now under Windermerean mind control."

"That's impossible," the fox eared faunas argued. "He was more devoted towards the White Fang's cause than anyone."

"It doesn't matter now if he's a Var controlled faunas." Walking towards them, the red haired man continued. "The only way to stop the Var is to deploy the tactical sound unit Walkure to sing their song, along those affected to regain their senses. But considering that Adam's the one who led the attack at Beacon… we're not inclined to help you."

"And let's not forget cutting off Yang's arm," Chuck added in as Ghira glared at them.

"Fennec, Corsac," he started, getting their attention once more. "It would be wise for you two to leave now, or else I'll have the guards _escort_ you away from my home."

"We understand, your grace," Corsac acknowledged as they bowed towards him. "We know we're no longer needed here at the moment." He then turned around alongside his brother before glancing once more. "And Chieftain, High Leader Khan expresses her utmost thanks in allowing us to branch out to Menagerie. Let's be on our way, brother."

With that being said, the two faunas bowed down towards Ghira in respect before leaving the estate, leaving the Belladonnas with Arad and Chuck and earning a sigh of relief from the two visitors. Arad didn't think he would run into the White Fang after what he heard from Ruby and her team, but he had a feeling that Fennec and Corsac had something else in mind as they spoke. For the moment, he was glad to keep Chuck calm as the Ragnan had different feelings about the organization.

"I apologize for your meeting with the White Fang being like this," Ghira solemnly stated, only for Arad to shake his head.

"It was bound to end up like this," the pilot answered before sighing. "I better head on back. I'm expected to bring a report over to my captain."

"At least stay for the night to exchange tales, Arad Molders. I'm curious about the lands beyond Remnant."

"Just look through the datapad we left behind in the living room. It was Blake's after all." Flashing one of his smiles, he made his way over towards his Valkyrie alongside Chuck while Ghira followed. "And don't be surprised if you see footage of her snagging the Tuna specials."

"I won't. And you be safe out there, and achieve victory for your people."

Nodding, the Delta 01 pilot climbed on his VF-31 _Siegfried_ , getting inside the cockpit before starting the ignition sequence. The thrusters slowly came to life as the cockpit closed as the Chieftain stood back, watching in awe as the Valkyries lift off from the ground in Gerwalk Mode and ascended above the town of Kuo Kuana. Him, alongside the faunas in hiding as well as the White Fang representatives took in the fight of the fighters flying away from the nation before they switched over to Fighter Mode, speeding off towards the horizon.

* * *

As night came down on the grounds of Beacon Academy, Summer continued to gaze out towards the city of Vale as she stood on top of the _Aether_. She had introduced herself over towards Yang's friends, and she was shocked to see Nora scarf down the food provided by Ragnyannyan in the Island ship. She also heard that since Beacon had a cafeteria, the Mustang family would use the opportunity to provide meals ranging from the meals from Remnant to the Ragnan specials. She could only giggle over the idea before leaving the children to do their thing, making her way over to observe her VF-25 _Messiah_.

When she overlooked it, she could tell that the fighter's missile count needed to be replenished, along with the gun pod's ammunition. Thinking back, she wasn't able to get around to it due to her taking part in the battle for Ragna, as well as the Island ship repairs and the skirmish against Atlas and Windermere. She made a mental note to have her ammo count replenished, thankful that she's with another contractor similar to S.M.S.

Afterwards, she remained on top of the _Aether_ for the rest of the day as the sun no longer coated the land, allowing her thoughts to drift towards the people that helped her become who she is now. From her friend Raven to the pilots of Skull Team led by Ozma Lee, she smiled as she had made lasting memories with them. She kept to her thoughts as someone approached from behind, sitting down by her back.

"It's hard to believe that you're still alive, Summer," her thoughts were disturbed as the woman glanced back, seeing Glynda facing away from her. "We all thought you were dead. Still, it's good to see you again."

"It's good to be back, Glyn," she answered back, looking back at the horizon. "And you should know better than to believe everything. My 'death' was faked so that I could go help elsewhere."

"Elsewhere?"

"Yeah, but you wouldn't believe me, even if I told you."

"Considering what has happened," the blonde commented, pointing at the _Elysion_. "I think a tale such as yours would be tame."

"You are one of those types, huh?" Taking a breath, the older Rose spoke up again. "A person who believes anything she sees, even if it's a Macross standing behind a school."

"Unlike Qrow?"

"Definitely unlike Qrow."

"That drunk is a part of our inner circle, understanding the importance of the Maidens," Glynda pointed out. "What makes you think he wouldn't believe anything about these things? A Macross, those fighters and specifically about life beyond our home?"

"Knowing him, he won't believe what he is seeing at all," Summer answered. "He never believed Raven and I when I told him about the Valkyrie years ago, dragging Tai into his way of thinking. If he were to see the _Elysion_ and the fighters, he would definitely hold up in a bar and drink away to forget it all."

"You think so?"

"Yup."

The blonde then frowned before looking at her friend, glancing over to see her holding a photo before speaking out. "Was that your team outside of Remnant?"

"Huh," the _Messiah_ pilot called out before nodding. "Yeah, they are. They're an odd group of people, but they know what they do." She then pointed at each of the individuals shown, starting with a man with a faint beard. "This man was my commanding officer, Ozma Lee, the commander of S.M.S.' Skull Team. He kept the unit together after all the crap we went through in the Vajra war, but he tends to treat everyone of us like kids. He even tried offering me candy, but I declined him."

"Really," Glynda muttered as Summer pointed to a child looking individual.

"Yup, and this girl is Klan Klang, Pixie Team's leader. Don't let her appearance deceive you, because she is a grown woman in her natural Zentradi size." Seeing her confused, Summer sighed before elaborating. "Basically, she's normally the size of the Valkyrie's Battroid Mode."

"She's that tall?"

"Yeah, which is perfect as it allows her to pilot her Queadluun-Rea." She then moved her finger towards the other three males. "Then these are Michael Blanc, Luca Angelloni and Alto Saotome. These guys are classmates at the school in the Frontier colonization fleet, and they are also skilled Valkyrie pilots in their own rights. Luca uses three drones to examine the enemy strength, Michael acted as the team's sniper, showing amazing efficiency with the VF-25's sniper rifle and Alto… let's just say that despite his upbringing, he knows when to take things seriously."

"They sound like they're great friends."

"You say that, yet Alto hated being referred to as 'Alto-Hime,' which I learned why. He was a Kabuki actor before taking in flight courses at his school."

"Well, the way you described them… it sounds like you have grown fond of them." Summer then looked back in awe as Glynda continued. "You spent enough time to learn about them, even going so far as to fight alongside them. Describing them now… it makes you miss them, don't you?"

"More than you know," she answered the teacher. "Alto, more so. He allowed himself to leave alongside the Vajra years ago, leaving behind two girls that had feelings for him, Sheryl Nome and Ranka Lee. And like Walkure, they're idols."

"No kidding?"

"Yeah, I'm not." Looking up to the sky, the _Messiah_ pilot yawned as she thought about her current situation. "Glynda, how much do you want to bet that Qrow and Tai are going to flip when they see me?"

"I'm not betting," the blonde bluntly stated before smirking. "The last time I betted, I ended up being what Raven called 'a rebel.' I didn't understand why."

"Come on, you looked good being a normal teenager instead of an uptight honors student."

"I WASN'T UPTIGHT!"

"Well you were strict." She was about to say something else before spotting something in the sky, narrowing her eyes as a fireball descended towards the _Elysion_. "Is there a forecast for a meteor shower earlier?"

"No, why?"

"Because something is coming towards us."

Looking up, Glynda saw the oncoming object coming closer towards the Macross until the flames dispersed, revealing a shuttle affiliated with the N.U.N.S. flying over to the school. Both women tensed as the vessel drew closer towards the fortress, putting the both of them on edge as the transport eventually landed on the _Aether._ Looking at one another, the Huntress and pilot waited as the shuttle opened its bay doors, revealing an N.U.N.S. escort alongside Major Maran, with the latter smiling smugly as he laid eyes on Summer.

"The White Rose pilot, I assume," he called out to her, seeing her tense more as he approached. "I have got to say, you look more calm despite the situation here."

"Major," she seethed out of her teeth. "To what do I owe the pleasure of seeing you, sir."

"Just dropping by to see a planet unaffected by Windermere so far." Walking to the side, he glanced over towards the horizon as the city of Vale illuminated the view. "It's surprising to see humans living here; it made me think that it was colonized at one point."

"That's obviously a lie, and I know it." Crossing her arms, she remained tense as the N.U.N.S. official glanced over to her. "Why are you here?"

"Straight to the point, huh? Well, I guess it can't be helped." Turning back around, he approached her as the escort surrounded them. "White Rose pilot, you are hereby under arrest for the deaths of many N.U.N.S. personnel during the war against Windermere."

"WHAT," Glynda shouted out before being silenced as a rifle got closer towards her, making her gaze at the major. "ON WHAT GROUNDS?"

"This doesn't concern you," the major addressed her, keeping his focus on Summer. "You have been a pivotal part in our war against the Vajra, even taking part in the last battle on against the Vajra _Frontier_. However, after disappearing after the end of the war, you reappeared years later in this Globular Cluster, destroying our fighters and killing our pilots. Exactly what do you have to say for yourself?"

"I was saving the pilots unaffected by the Var," Summer stated, keeping tense as she stared down the N.U.N.S. official. "Walkure wouldn't reach out to a large scale if they were on planet and on assignment. I did what I thought was right."

"Yes, well most of the pilots are grateful to your assistance, the fact remains that you have killed our finest, even if they were Var." Keeping eye contact, he moved his hand out and motioned his hand towards one of his escorts as he continued, "You're coming with us, whether you like it or not. You will be court marshalled, and you will be locked away for a long time."

"She's not going anywhere," Glynda called out again, ignoring the guns trained at her as she stared at Maran. "Summer is staying here on Remnant, and there is nothing you can do to say otherwise."

"Oh really," he questioned as he received a pair of handcuffs from one of his soldiers. "On whose authority, civilian?"

The combat instructor flinched as she looked down, thinking about the man's question as Maran approached Summer once more with the handcuffs prepared. The Major was smirking as in his mind, he was about to arrest a threat to the N.U.N.S. as dangerous as Windermere. Just as he was about to cuff her, Glynda caught sight of a dark avian discreetly flying in behind the VF-25, keeping her mouth shut as a woman familiar to Summer calmly walked behind Maran before making her move.

"On my authority," he stopped as he heard before some of his escort detail were cut down, forcing him to turn around and face the cause as the masked woman drew blood out of his soldiers. Taking the confusion to her advantage, Glynda elbowed the N.U.N.S. detail surrounding her, pushing them back and allowing her to move away from them. As they regained their bearings, she used her semblance to take control of their bodies, forcing them to bash their heads in together and knocking them out.

Shaken out of the shock, the remaining security took aim with their rifles towards the opposing women, only for those near Summer to lose their grip when she elbowed them in their stomachs before taking hold of one of the guns. Taking aim, she opened fire on the others' legs, crippling and knocking them down to the ground. One soldier got behind the VF-25's pilot, but was unable to make a move as Raven appeared behind him and struck him down by the back, taking him out in the process.

Shocked that his escort was taken down by three women, Maran backed away as Summer, Raven and Glynda glared at him, with the former glaring at him with fierce silver eyes. Looking at his men, he noticed that the majority of them were knocked out by both the _Messiah_ pilot and the combat instructor while the rest were killed by the one who stopped his arrest. Shocked turned into anger as he continued to back away, pointing his finger at his target.

"This isn't over, White Rose," he announced to her, retreating back before pointing at Raven. "And you… you will get what's coming to you from the N.U.N.S. after Windermere's dealt with. I can promise you that."

"Ooh, I'm so scared," she sarcastically muttered out loudly before staring at him through the mask. "You're outnumbered, your escort is incapacitated and three trained Huntresses waiting to take you down. For someone with a rank in the N.U.N.S., you're awfully cowardly." She then swiped her blade in the air to rid the blood off of it before pointing it at him. "If you want to live through another day, I suggest you leave… Now!"

Growling in anger, the Major glared at the group before retreating back into the shuttle, leaving behind his escort as the vessel launched up into the air. Sighing in relief, Summer relax as Glynda turned to face the security that were left alive, using her semblance to take them and drag them away. This left the pilot alone with Raven as she turned to face her friend, unsure of what to say.

"It has been a long time, Summer," Raven called out to her, removing her mask to reveal her face to her. "Ten years long, by the looks of it."

"Yeah," she answered back, slowly calming down. "I thought you would forget about me."

"What, after seeing the fleet appear in the skies days ago? As if." The Branwen then relaxed before hugging the _Messiah_ pilot, smiling before continuing. "It's good to have you back, Summer Rose."

"And it's good to be back, although I'm technically younger than you now."

"Yeah, how the hell is that even possible?"

"Blame my old fold drive that I left behind recently." Letting go, the crimson tipped haired woman grinned as she crossed her arms. "I guess you can say that I have kept my youth after all these years."

"And you still act like an immature brat like always." Chuckling, Raven sheathed her weapon before turning to face the VF-25 _Messiah_ , her eyes having a distant look. "So… I take it that the war you were a part of ended?"

"Eight years ago, yeah," the White Rose replied back, placing her hands in her pockets. "After that, I took a trip over to Earth with my Fold Drive, taking three years long, then a year after that, I came back here to learn a new war started."

"You had to get dragged into it, didn't you?"

"I had to, considering that both our daughters are fighting in it." She saw the swordswoman stiffen up as she continued. "And it won't be long until the war gets dragged here. Hell, Atlas had already lost most of their forces to six enemy fighters."

"Damn."

"Raven, Ruby and Yang are going to need us more than ever to keep them going." Turning around, the Branwen sighed as she remembered how she saved Yang before the breach in Vale as Summer continued. "Even if you have to remain as a bird, Yang needs to know that her birth mother cares for her."

"I know." Looking up, Raven gazed at the illuminated night sky before speaking again. "And I also made a promise to myself… to stick by your side whenever you came back."

"From our first year at Beacon to the day we die, right," Summer asked, raising her arm up.

"To the day we die," she agreed, bumping hers into her friend's as they laughed together.

"Good." Lowering their arms, the White Rose pilot turned around before going inside the Macross _Elysion_ with Raven following, smirking as she thought something up. "Oh, and Raven… why don't you go and have some time to 'bond' with your daughter, huh?"

As she said that, the Branwen paled over how Yang will react before groaning mentally, knowing that she's going to face an oncoming storm that is her daughter's anger.

* * *

 **A/N: Another chapter done, and I think things are brewing further down the lane.**

 **So, I did some little exposure on Summer's past, having her explaining her connections to the pilots of Skull Team from Frontier. This will eventually link to another crossover that will be in development after this one is done. Along with that, I think I made an establishment of Summer and Raven being close friends like my other project I'm working on. Not only that, but I also had Arad and Chuck meet with Blake's parents, letting them know what had happened. Not only that, but a meeting with the White Fang and the news that Adam is now Var infected. Is it obvious that I never liked Adam at all?**

 **Now, I want to let you know that, by April 1** **st** **(April Fool's Day), I will be switching back to my other crossover A Branwen's Past, a RWBY x God Eater project. It once started out as a simple idea that bugged my head for a time, but it then became a fic that I want to keep focused on while still working on this. If you can, check it out when you have the time.**

 **Review Replies:**

 **Alexwu704:** _ **It seems Grimm can be affected by the Var Syndrome**_

 _ **Does that mean even the Maidens can be affected as well?**_

 _ **Makina, you should realize the Grimm's main purpose is to kill humans, not talk about the nice weather.**_

 _ **Anyways, good to see Glynda Goodwitch is still alive and the other professors are okay**_

 _ **Hopefully they can get to the bottom of the mystery of how Grimm can be affected.**_

 **Yup, somehow. I won't reveal how the Grimm can be affected until a future chapter.**

 **It would more than likely be the case, but you have to think about whether or not the Maidens would have any Fold bacteria in their systems, and whether they had injested any Windermerean apples and Voldorian water.**

 **Well, it was her first time actually seeing a Grimm up close, and most times, when a person sees a threat for the first time that manages to scare them instantly, more likely than not they will ask about the weather.**

 **Yeah, Beacon wouldn't be the same without its teachers, but when I thought about how Glynda was only mentioned in Volume 4 of RWBY, I decided to make it look like she was too exhausted. Overworking leads to the person burning out.**

 **Marcus the Kane:** _ **bzzzttt...**_

 _ **Marcus: Great chapter! Though I found Tai and Qrow's conversation really hilarious and I don't know why.**_

 _ **Dan: Kill Jacques! Kill Jacques! Kill Jacques!**_

 _ **Jacques: Excuse me?!**_

 _ **Dan: Not you! I'm talking about Weiss' asshole of a father!**_

 _ **Marcus: Forgot that we had a friend named Jacques.**_

 _ **bzzzttt...**_

 **How many friends do you have when doing your reviews? Cause damn man, I'm losing count here.**

 **Xzorshio:** _ **Hey, dude! I just read your latest chapter and I like it when you left us in suspense out there. More shock and awe from the Remnans as I predicted from this chapter. I have a question. Since the Delta movie has been premiered in Japan a month ago, will you consider some of their additional weapons and upgrades to be added in the fic? There's a legit screenshot of VF-31S of Arad Moulders that is equipped with Armored Parts in Fighter mode that looks sick and Messer's VF-31F with surprisingly, Draken's Lil Drakens attached to its wings! I am still intrigued on these upgrades in the movie because I have yet want to watch it once the Blu-ray is released, maybe 3-4 months from now and I can't wait! Also, you should also feature their new songs from their new album, Walkurë Wa Uragiranai because they're actually very catchy! Well, that's all what I can say. I'm looking forward on your next chapter. Peace out!**_

 **That's actually a good question and I have only sad news to say about that. While it is true that I am a fan of the Macross franchise, unfortunately I live in a country where it couldn't be broadcasted due to licencing and one company. Over here, the only legal exposure to Macross in Canada is through Harmony Gold and the series they… 'created,' ROBOTECH. At first, I loved the series, but that was until I actually looked into it and discovered that it is not an original series, but three separate series whose scripts were rewritten to make one show. Those shows were, in order,** _ **Super Dimension Fortress Macross**_ **,** _ **Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross**_ **and** _ **Genesis Climber MOSPEADA**_ **. Nowadays, ROBOTECH is only surviving due to Harmony Gold holding the Macross name licence (thank god it ends in 2021), and they have resorted to releasing comic books and less than pleasing toys. Heck, it's going to have a live action adaptation, but I know that it's going to suck hard.**

 **Sorry, had to let that out. Anyways, I'm going to have to wait until the Macross Delta movie comes out and a few more months for someone to make a fan sub for me to watch. Until then, I can't see the upgrades you mentioned, but they sound so cool since you brought it up.**

 **Walkure released a new album? I just recently got** _ **Walkure ga Tomaranai**_ **(** **ワルキューレガとまらない** **), but when I looked up the album, it's a single, meaning four songs plus instrumentals. I'll find a way to listen to them whenever, or even get the MP3s, so it may take a while.**

 **Thank you for the support.**

 **Spyro259:** _ **Will Jaune, Nora and Ren be making a comeback to the story?  
Other than that, I'm enjoying the fanfic.**_

 **They made their appearance. But they're just supporting characters. There will be one or more chapters that have them, but I'm not going to make them Valkyrie pilots. Nora, because of what she did to the Bullhead, Jaune because of motion sickness and Ren… I don't know about him.**

 **Tendaysromeo:** _ **Great chaper! Oh Tai &Qrow… why their argument seems to be so fun to read.**_

 **Probably because of RWBY Chibi. That episode where they were supposed to talk about Ruby and Yang's punishment escalated to a verbal argument between the two STRQ members.**

 **Duelgundam:** _ **And we're back! With a new chapter!(Yay!)**_

 _ **On with the reviews, then!**_

 _ **So...Qrow's been reduced to what is essentially a raving drunkard in denial after hearing about the Siegfrieds, eh? Well then, with the sight of the Kairos', the Northampton and Guantanamo-class ships, and the Island Ship, I guess he can't claim that it's a hallucination of Taiyang's again, now can he?**_

 _ **It was alluded to in the series before, but it's harrowing to know that things were that bad. Even in modern war zones, there was still a chance that you could at least still bring your buddy's body home. To know that things got so bad, that they didn't even have time to collect their dead, and the many bodies were just left to the mercy of nature.(Freyja probably had it worst mentally, watching the people at that village being torn to shreds by that DE.) At least that Wyvern's corpse has been taken care of, at least.**_

 _ **C'mon, Weiss, you're letting a guy who's fighting Grimm for the first time show you up(granted, he IS a Major in Xaos, and Weiss's CO), with a non EX-Gear AR, no less.**_

 _ **And...The Grimm, Black, shadowy, soulless entities, can now TURN VAR?! Well, this is just F*CKIN' FANTASTIC!(sarcasm)**_

 _ **Well then, till next time!**_

 **I think at this point, Qrow's just going to hit up a bar and drink away, going by what Summer told Glynda in the chapter. And while Qrow is a pretty cool character, I was more in favor of Raven because she was the first Branwen I saw in RWBY. Besides, I think I made him more of a joke in my other crossover, even giving him the nickname 'Ogrebait.'**

 **Yeah, now Vale doesn't have to worry about seeing a Grimm Dragon perched on Beacon Tower. Someone should message Rooster Teeth and ask them about naming that dragon, otherwise, it's going to be called Wyvern by me.**

 **Well, Weiss had to make sure that Makina was alright. But yeah, she let her senior officer, a human that has flown in many battles, show her up when he took on the Beowolf, not to mention taunting the damn thing.**

 **Well, gotta make a sarcastic comment somewhere. It will be explained further.**

 **XY Kid:** _ **That was a very good chapter. Can't blame us that we love Jaune Arc. But as long as Jaune makes an appearance in future chapters, we're willing to wait.**_

 **No wonder why some writers tend to make fics where Jaune has a harem. I still can't understand why people like him to that point, but I guess that's just me.**

 **Wee-0wee-0:** _ **I know there's a tension between Tai and Qrow, but I can't help but find their conversation and argument really funny, it's like… I can't take them seriously no matter the situation. Anyway, fantastic chapter and looking forward to the next one.**_

 **Like I said, RWBY Chibi. That's probably the reason why.**

 **I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. What do you think? Leave a Favorite, Follow and Review.**

 **With that out of the way, I'm BlazefireDrago, signing out.**


	22. Nirvana

**Disclaimer: RWBY is owned by Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth Productions, while Macross is owned by Shoji Kawamori and Studio Satelight.**

* * *

Days have passed since the message has been relayed, and while the repairs on the academy are still underway with Hayate's guidance, Beacon has now seen an influx of activity as Bullheads flew and landed near the grounds. Dozens of students, from the Huntsmen in training from Beacon to the visitors from the other Kingdoms, many stood to gaze in awe over the size of the Macross standing tall. As they continued to stare up at the fortress, the other groups moved on with their pace as they motioned towards the school, occasionally stopping to admire the Workroids working on the renovations.

While the students worked on heading towards their destination, Chaos' Makina Nakajima had been on the rise as she had installed holo-projectors on the teens' way, depicting what the civilian contractor is, what its track record is, the history behind Walkure and the various skirmishes between them and the Var. She didn't get around to implementing the information about Windermere yet as Reina was still compiling the rest of the data, but she made due with what she had.

Smiling, she backed away as she admired her work, seeing the people flock together to watch the footage and learn about Chaos, wiping her forehead free of sweat. Pulling out her communicator, she was about to make a call towards Ernest when her eyes took in the sight of a brunette girl with bunny ears, eyes widening as she went to hide behind one of the pillars. Peeking out, she watched as the girl walked alongside what Makina thought was a fashionista and a large oriental warrior with a large sword on his back, listening into their conversation.

"You gotta relax, Velvet," she heard the Fashionista talk to the bunny girl, now knowing her name. "I doubt these people will do anything against you. You gotta relax."

"Coco, you should know how I am with meeting new people," the faunas answered her friend. "Plus, you should know that they are not from here. They're aliens, Coco, and I'm scared of what they might do?"

"Look, you have been watching too much of those sci-fi/horrors on your spare time." Sighing, Coco placed a hand on her shoulder before speaking again. "Listen, you saw those things flying into Vale playing that message. You can't help but deny that these 'aliens' are humans just Yatsu and I. Plus…" she smirked as she rubbed her chin. "Those outfits those two girls wore… I gotta get my hands on them and figure out what they're made of."

"Of course you would think about the outfits."

"That's Coco for you," The big man behind them, Yatsuhashi, commented. "Once she sets her mind on something, she'll do anything to get what she wants."

As they made their way towards the school, chatting away while looking at the occasional holo-projector, none of them noticed Makina sneaking up from behind them with her glasses over her eyes, keeping her sights on Velvet's ears. Scanning them, she gasped and giggled as the thought of petting them came to mind before continuing her pursuit. Just as she got into a reasonable distance, she took the opportunity to jump out of hiding before pouncing onto Velvet, knocking her down in a hug before cuddling her.

"Aww, who's a cutie little bunny rabbit," the mechanic sang out as she reached out to pet the faunas' ears. "Ahh, they're so cute and fluffy."

"Uh, what just happened," Coco asked in shock as she watched the exchange, hearing Velvet whimper in fear.

"Coco… help me," the rabbit faunas pleaded to her teammate, crying out in fear over what Makina was doing.

"I would, if I knew what is going on."

"Please...?"

"Don't take the cute little bunny away," Makina whined as she continued to cuddle the rabbit faunas, only to feel her collar gripped from behind and making her look to see a deadpanning Weiss. "WeiWei?"

"Come on, Makina," The ex-heiress spoke out, prying her off Velvet. "You still have holo-projectors to install, data to look after and Valkyries to tune up."

"But I wanna play with the bunny." She flinched as Weiss gave her one of her glares, shaking in fear of what she'll do. "But WeiWei—"

"No buts." She then smiled at the three members of Team CFVY while keeping her grip on Makina. "Sorry about her, guys. She gets excited when she sees something she considers cute." Letting go of the mechanic's collar, the white haired girl gripped the girl's ear before dragging her away. "Come on, Makina. I'm keeping tabs on you till you finish your work."

"What… just happened," Yatsuhashi asked as Coco helped her friend up, equally as confused over what happened.

"I don't know," the fashionista answered before realizing something. "Hey, that girl was from the video messages." She then gripped her head as she screamed out, shocking the others around them. "DAMMIT, I FORGOT TO ASK HER THE SECRET TO HER OUTFITS!"

" _Coco's back to normal_ ," her two teammates thought to themselves at the same time before hearing the sound of music, making them look to see Hayate piloting his Workroid. Spotting a drone flying alongside the mech, they figured that it was the source of the sound as the young man continued his work repairing the school. However, they were surprised to see the mech dancing to the music as it passively moved passed a VF-31 in Battroid Mode carrying supplies.

"Hey, watch it Hayate," Mirage's voice echoed out of the tall machine while the three team members watched in shock. Shaking their thoughts away, the three teens of CFVY resumed their pace towards Beacon Academy, overshadowed by the Macross standing tall behind it. They had to wonder where Ruby, Yang and Blake were if they saw Weiss, even with her appearance different now compared to before the combat school fell.

While the large gathering of students continued to gather en masse at Beacon while the Workroids continued operations, the same couldn't be said for Jaune, Ren and Nora as Ruby was showing them the inside of the _Elysion_. Awe and amazement clouded their minds as they examined the interior of the fortress, taking in how advanced in technology it was compared to Atlas. They also noticed that when they passed by the personnel, they all stopped to salute Ruby, only for her to raise her hand to ease them.

"Not to pry or anything," Nora spoke up as she ran up to her. "I noticed that these people have been stopping to greet you. Any reason to that?"

"Must be because I am a 2nd Lt., Nora," the young reaper answered her. "Shocking what was can do, huh."

"Rank brings respect from those underneath, Ruby," Ren pointed out. "Despite being young, you have moved up since you left that day. Though, have they treated you any differently when you first arrived on Ragna?"

"Not really, Ren." Turning to face them, she continued her pace walking backwards while making eye contact. "They just saw me as a girl ready to become a pilot. Next thing I knew, I was a 3rd Lt. of the Delta Platoon and then a 2nd Lt."

"Forget about that, why haven't you called us after Voldor," Nora took back control, getting into Ruby's personal space. "We haven't even gotten anything after the news of Freyja curing that ace pilot you told me about."

"I've been busy, what else can I say?" Turning back around, she lead them further in as she made her way over to the command center while not noticing the lack of a certain knight. "The captain is aware that I've been sharing info to you, but knows that you can be trusted. He asked me to present you guys to him so that we can elaborate further, along with presenting positions here in Chaos." She then sighed before continuing. "They just won't be as pilots as Jaune has his motion sickness, Ren probably wouldn't be used to the change in career and you, Nora… I heard what you did with that Bullhead."

"You can't fault me for that, can you?"

"Yang told me that you tried to imitate the way I fly, and that it resulted in Jaune losing his lunch."

"Again with that? Are you just going to accept that, oh fearless leader?" Turning around, the excited girl went into confusion as she looked for her friend and team leader. "Uh, Jaune? Leader?"

"While you were talking to Ruby, Jaune left to find a bathroom," Ren pointed out, making the young reaper groan out. "Is something wrong?"

"A little," she admitted. "None of the engineers thought about putting up signs. I just hope that Jaune doesn't end up getting castrated."

Her fears were justified as she continued to lead the others towards the _Elysion_ Bridge, hoping that Jaune doesn't end up on the wrong side. Elsewhere in the Macross, Jaune managed to breathe a sigh of relief as he finished his business, walking out of one of the stalls as he went to go wash his hands and face. After losing his lunch, he didn't think getting lost inside the fortress would have followed in his recent string of bad luck. Washing his face to rid of sweat, he sighed in relief as the cold water met the surface of his head. He was wrapped up in his thoughts that he didn't recognize the sound of pouring hot water.

"Finally, all done," He told himself as he used his sleeve to dry off. "I thought I would never find a bathroom in the place, and yet I have." He then heavily sighed over what he has to do next. "Now to get myself lost to find my friends. Why must my luck be so bad—"

Before he could finish, the sound of hot water abruptly stopped, followed by the sound of a stall being opened. Turning his head slightly, the blonde knight cursed his luck as his eyes laid on Mikumo's sudden appearance, blushing afterwards as she was only covered by a towel wrapped around her midsection. Turning back in front, his blushed deepened as the mysterious Venus walked closer to the sinks, grabbing a hair drier before turning on the appliance.

' _Crap crap crap crap CRAP_ ,' he mentally thought out as she thoroughly went through her violet locks, trying not to let out a nosebleed. ' _Did I accidentally enter the girls' bathroom? I didn't mean to intrude, and there wasn't a sign that suggested otherwise. Why must my luck be like this?_ ' He then shook his head before closing his eyes. ' _OK, Jaune, relax. Don't think about the incredibly attractive… mysterious… alluring and almost naked idol—and I just pictured her without the towel. Well done, Jaune, you idiot._ '

Without him knowing, Mikumo had let one of her eyes wonder to her side, taking in the sight of the Remnan deep in thought as she finished drying her hair. She had heard from Ruby that he was a nice guy, albeit dense when it came to realizing girls' feelings when he crushed on Weiss. Letting out a light smirk, she giggled as she moved away from her spot as Jaune kept his eyes closed.

' _OK, forget the images, forget the situation, I need to focus,_ ' his mind continued. ' _I need to figure a way out without drawing her attention. I just need to sneak away very quietly, then once I reach the hallway, I run like hell back to Ruby and the others._ ' Nodding to himself, he opened his eyes as he turned around quickly, only to see Mikumo was nowhere in sight. ' _Huh? I thought for sure she was here. Am I losing my mind now—_ '

"Ara, you sure are a bold young man," he tensed as the lead singer of Walkure spoke from behind him. "Coming into the ladies' room and gazing at a maiden like me."

"I-I-I-I didn't m-m-mean to," he stuttered out as he tried to back away from her. "I-I-I thought that this w–w-was the men's room."

"Oh?" Giggling, she stepped forward as he backed further away, placing her hand on her hip. "I have to say, out of all the men I have met… you are definitely an interesting individual."

"I-I-Interesting?"

"Indeed, and you carry a heavy burden." Her eyes then gazed at the sheathed sword hanging by his left side, curious about the blade. "A knight in shining armor with a sword to match." She then leaned forward slightly, causing him to glimpse down at her chest as she continued. "I bet you must get all the ladies, huh?"

"N-n-n-n-not r-r-r-really," he choked out again, looking away as she giggled. "I-I-I don't think that I-I'm lucky enough to f-find one."

"I'm certain you will," she assured him, leaning back to normal. "Besides, emotions drive us to better ourselves. It only takes time."

"E-E-Easier said than done.

Giggling once more, Mikumo placed her left hand on her shoulder before twisting her neck, easing her body after her shower. Unfortunately, the towel that wrapped around her body chose the time to drop down on the floor, causing Jaune to go into mental overload as the mysterious Venus just stood there naked. Feeling steam coming out of his ears, he turned around before rushing out of the scene, screaming his lungs out as the singer just stood there with a light smirk.

"So easy to tease," she commented, hearing the young man's screams echo in the hallways, making a certain group lead by Ruby groan out as the young girl sighed before asking herself.

"Jaune, how did you end up with the worst luck?"

* * *

She did not expect a reconnaissance mission after her sudden reunion with Raven, the woman that abandoned her as a child, but when something comes up that grabs Chaos' attention, Yang was eager to check it out. She also didn't expect that both Summer and her mom would accompany her to their destination, but she wasn't going to deny any help as the others worked on repairing the school. After resolving her issues with Raven the night she saw her, she was willing to give the woman one chance to redeem herself to the blonde.

Reviewing her mission details as she flew her VF-31 _Siegfried_ , she was to investigate a signal emitting from the coordinates Reina had discovered. Recognizing the location to be the ruins of Mountain Glenn, the blonde groaned as she would have to return to the area's underground. In her mind, at least she wasn't alone as the sight of Summer's VF-25 _Messiah_ flew alongside her own Valkyrie, though the sight of Raven in the White Rose's cockpit had her wonder why she's with them.

Just as she was about to question it, the sight of the ruined expansion of Vale came into view to the two fighters, causing her to return her focus up front. Remembering the last time she was in Mountain Glenn, she flew in front of the Rose's Valkyrie in leading, shifting her own fighter into Gerwalk Mode before beginning her descent. Seeing the veteran pilot follow her lead, the blonde smirked as she got closer to the ruins, finding a spot to land as they hovered across the surface.

' _Mountain Glenn: An expansion of Vale that failed due to a massive Grimm attack_ ,' she thought in her head as the fighters touched down on a large opening. ' _The people then moved underground to survive and continue their lives, but an explosion occurred, causing subterranean monsters to pour in. The city became a mass grave after Vale closed it off. To think a signal is coming from here of all places._ '

Sighing to herself, she opened her cockpit as the Valkyrie shut down, allowing her to jump down along with both Summer and Raven. While the White Rose pilot wore her flight suit for the mission, the blonde's mother wore an S.M.S. jacket over her attire, a sight that Yang wouldn't think of seeing. Of course, the sight of a large bruise was still visible on the Branwen's face, reminding her of what she did to her after Summer brought her in.

Of course, after a long talk and a shaky promise towards one another, Yang eventually allowed Raven to be a part of her life again, provided that she supports her throughout her life. To her surprise, the woman agreed after telling her the promise she made to Ruby's mom, starting their relationship as mother and daughter right after. Of course, she had to drag the samurai over to Ragnyannyan in Island Jackpot, ordering her the 'Fried Fermented Spiders,' laughing as the woman looked at the dish in utter shock.

Returning her thoughts to now, she walked over to both her biological mother and her step-mother, thinking of a way to check out the signal. Seeing the more experience pilot holding the datapad in her hands, she moved over to see what it was the woman was looking at. To her shock, alongside the signal they were sent to investigate, multiple life signals were detected underneath them.

"Well this has gotten complicated," she heard the woman mutter as she gazed at the screen. "I don't know what's going on, but there's a large group of people near our goal."

"Who do you think could be here of all places, Summer," Raven asked as the others thought about it. "I doubt it could be a Remnan research team."

"With our experience, mom," Yang spoke up, getting her attention. "It could very well be a militarized unit. The only ones I could think of are an Atlesian scout unit that lost contact… or an advance strike team from the White Fang."

"Both could be possible," Summer took over before frowning. "Or it could be a covert Windermerean unit in hiding or some of the N.U.N.S. loyal to Maran."

"Must you remind me of that coward?" The raven haired woman heavily sighed before gazing at the screen. "I'd prefer it if it were the White Fang forces. At least with them, I'm more comfortable."

"We're not here to kill them, Raven." Thinking further, the White Rose pilot hummed as she gazed at the readings. "If we can just disable them without claiming any lives, that would leave them without any hope of fighting back. Taking out their weapons is also a good idea."

"You've changed since you been gone," the Branwen commented with a smile.

"I have to, if I had to fight against the Vajra." Sighing, she lightly pouted before going back to the data. "My only problem is that we don't know what we're up against."

"You may not know, but I do," a familiar voice brought them out of their senses, turning around to see Qrow with a scowl on his face. "But I'm not saying anything if my older sister is here."

"Qrow," Raven seethed out of her mouth. "What are you doing here?"

"What, I can't visit my niece if she's in a dangerous place?" He then looked at Yang as her mom's scowl worsened. "Speaking of, what are you doing here, Yang? Aren't you supposed to be recovering?"

"I'm fine, Uncle Qrow," she calmly said as she looked at her mothers. "What's he doing here?"

"No point asking your 'mom' and that imposter, Yang." Seeing her look at him with a shocked look made him sigh as he walked over. "But I suppose I can say to you. I'm here on a mission with your dad to clear out the White Fang presence here. The only thing about them is that they're the High Leader's royal guard, not the Vale Branch."

"Damn," Raven cursed out. "That means that Sienna Khan is leading their forces."

"I wasn't talking to you, Raven—"

"OK, that is enough," Summer shouted out, walking over to him before slapping him hard in the face. "What matters is that we're all here together, whether you like it or not." Before he could say anything else, she gripped his collar before dragging him closer. "I don't give a damn about what you say, but we're not going to have this conversation. Now shut the hell up and listen."

"What's going on here," her eyes widened as she looked to see Taiyang rush over. "I was scouting out the area, and I come back to see—" His words got stuck as he spotted the group of Valkyries before gazing at Summer, stopping in his tracks. "It… it can't be…"

All was silent as the members of Team STRQ were now together once again, only under different circumstances. Conflicted, the Xiao Long patriarch slowly moved over towards the young woman as she looked away, not having anything to say right now while the Branwens watched. After a minute of slience, while the young Summer had nothing to say, she was shocked when Taiyang suddenly wrapped his arms around her, causing her to go wide eyed over the action.

"Tai," was all that she could mutter out before feeling him let go, looking to see him staring into her eyes.

"I thought I was seeing things," he muttered out before smiling. "But it's actually you, Summer. You came back to us."

She lightly blushed as she nodded, smiling back at him before speaking up. "Good to be back… Tai."

"OK, now that Team STRQ is back together, I think we should get back to the plan," Raven called out, glaring at Qrow as he raised a finger. "You stay out of it."

"Thanks, Raven." Nodding to Taiyang, Summer went back to her friend as she was handed the datapad before speaking. "Seeing as how we're dealing with the White Fang thanks to Qrow's info, we're going to have to disable them and force them to either run or surrender."

"And how do you plan to do that, Summer," the blonde man asked her.

"With our Valkyries, Tai." Pointing back at her VF-25 and Yang's VF-31, she smirked as she addressed them. "Thanks to some of our friends, I was able to stock up one salvo of speaker pods I can launch out. We can launch them down under to their positions in several key places before choosing a song to play out, making them vastly confused. We then deploy our fighters into the area, destroying both their weapons and supplies in place for them. That should force them to back off."

"And if they choose to fight," Raven questioned, seeing her smirk.

"Then both you and Tai get the privilege of knocking them down a peg, provided that you don't kill them." Making her way over to the _Messiah_ , she quickly pointed at Qrow as her eyes narrowed. "If you want to help, then be my guest. But you're still not on my good side after Beacon, got it?"

"Fine," was all that the Branwen sibling muttered out as Summer got into her Valkyrie, closing the cockpit and powering up her fighter. It didn't take long for Yang to join her as the VF-31 _Siegfried_ powered on, its thrusters igniting in the process. Backing away, Qrow watched in shock as Raven and Taiyang got on to the fighters' wings, ready for a fight against the White Fang before rushing away.

Taking that as a signal to move in, Summer pressed some commands on the console as the VF-25 prepared the pods for launch, typing in the coordinates in the process. Gripping her controls, she launched her speaker drones off of the fighter, seeing them skyrocket before coming down and blasting through the ground. As they did, the Valkyries lifted off of the ground as the drones soared downwards, impacting the cavern surfaces and shocking the White Fang forces.

Pressing on the console once more, she activated the drones, playing the familiar song of Sheryl Nome's **Northern Cross** and flying off into the sky. The sound of the music shocked the extremists as they played, disorienting their organization in the way Summer had predicted. Licking her lips, she looked over as Raven held onto her VF-25's wing before opening fire on the surface, seeing the bullets impact the ground and creating a large enough entranceway to fly the Valkyries into.

Seeing the cavern ceiling burst open by a barrage of rounds, the faunas of the White Fang gathered around before aiming their weapons at the created hole, expecting a contingent of Atlesian forces. Their shock came back in full force as both _Messiah_ and _Siegfried_ flew down in Gerwalk Mode, hovering over their forces and disorienting them further. Realizing that they were under attack, the extremists scattered around to find cover from the machines, aiming their rifles while feeling intimidated over the unknowns.

However, when the fighters landed on the ground, both Yang and her step-mom aimed their targeting systems on the White Fang crates, opening fire on them in a straight volley. The bullets carved a path onto the surface until most of the rounds hit their targets, destroying most of the White Fang's equipment. Without break, the two Variable Fighters split off as they lifted off the ground, hovering over the ruined underground city as they continued fire.

Shock overwhelming them, the White Fang forces did nothing but watch as the _Messiah_ and the _Siegfried_ kept firing upon their supplies on the ground, destroying them and disabling their combat potential. Having enough of it, the extremist forces returned fire on the Valkyries, trying to land a shot on the machines. Seeing the rounds coming towards them, both Raven and Taiyang jumped off of the fighters in a freefall, landing on top of two unfortunate faunas before moving to attack.

Seeing them take care of the ground forces, Summer and Yang continued their assault on the supplies, tearing through the weapons and equipment the organization. Most of the crates, having sustained damage from the reactive rounds, detonated in a large explosion, knocking out any White Fang around them. The blonde girl thought that some of those cases contained fire Dust, realizing they couldn't handle the destructive power of the bullets fired from the fighters and elected to take out more.

While she had done so, Taiyang was having the time of his life as he kept fighting the ground forces coming towards him, using his close quarters combat skills as he caught one of the extremists' fist before launching his own, punching the faunas in the face. A shout from behind caused him to turn around to see another White Fang member rushing him, only for Raven to jump in front, bashing the hilt of her odachi into the guy's stomach before roundhouse kicking the trooper down. He flashed a nod of thanks to her, seeing her return the gesture before gripping her shoulder, jumping over her and planting his foot on another White Fang, pushing him down and helping his former teammate.

As the carnage continued in Mountain Glenn's underground, Qrow could only sit and watch as the fighters kept firing on the White Fang's equipment with most of them detonating. While he smiled over the thought of Tai and Raven working together despite the siblings' animosity towards each other, he still would not accept the thought of the Valkyries existing despite both VF-25 and VF-31 underneath him are dealing with the Fang's supplies. He continued to sit and watch as the effort of both the Huntsmen duo and Valkyrie pilots further pressed the White Fang back.

While he watched, the White Fang forces began to feel that they were unmatched as the ground forces continued to be defeated by the Xiao Long/Branwen team, while the weapons and supplies were destroyed by the fighters that surprised them. Realizing that it was a losing battle, the extremist commanders had ordered a full retreat before running off, entering the caverns without turning back. This caused Yang, who was enjoying herself with dealing with the equipment, moaned in disappointment as the enemy forces ran away.

"Was that it," she called out, sighing out in boredom on the comm. "I was just getting to the good part."

"For once, I agree with Yang," Tai commented as his shoulders slumped. "These were the royal guards to the White Fang's High Leader. I figured they would put up a fight."

"Well, you can't get what you want, Tai," Raven nonchalantly told him, sheathing her weapon. "They realized they couldn't win against us, Summer and our daughter in the Valkyries."

"Still, they ordered to pull out as soon as their backs were against the wall," Summer pointed out before frowning. "That could only mean that more trouble will come at us." Typing in her console, the song ended as the speaker drones detached, flying back to reconnect with her fighter as she continued. "Regardless, we cleared out the area. Let's get around to investigating that signal before—"

Her fighter's alarms blared to life as a hail of bullets flew passed them, forcing her to strafe out of the way as the rounds impacted the cavern walls. Both pilots and the Huntsmen stood in shock as the rounds were in the same size as those fired by the VF-25 and VF-31 Variable Fighters. Large footsteps were heard from the cave system the bullets came from, and as the machine responsible came into view, the White Rose pilot stiffened as her eyes widened in shock.

The machine, coated in a jet black color scheme with crimson red linings with the White Fang's emblem coated on the left shouder, marched into the opening in a size similar to the Valkyries Battroid Mode. Memories of the fighter came into the White Rose's mind as she had fought against one of them during the end of the Vajra War. She would never thought to see a unit similar to it on Remnant, though fate had to throw in another wrench in her life.

"Summer," she heard Taiyang call out to her as she glared at the opposing machine. "Remember how you said about more trouble coming. Well… I think it did."

"What the hell are we looking at," Raven asked out, keeping her hand near her weapon.

"A VF-27γ _Lucifer_ ," she answered them, regaining her composure. "A Valkyrie I'm more than familiar with. I wonder where the White Fang's leader is hiding."

" _You're looking at her_ ," the Battroid called out to them through the external communications, moving into firing position as a female voice echoed out. " _I'm more than surprised to see a group of humans disable the best I have assembled._ " They could see it aim the fighter's gun pod towards the VF-25 as the White Fang's High Leader continued. " _I must admit, I am very impressed, and not many humans have impressed me thus far_."

"Oh jeez, the Leader's now a Valkyrie pilot," Yang muttered in annoyance. "What's next, it's raining Windermereans?"

" _I am going to ask you this once. Leave this place, so that I may continue the hunt for the splinter faction_."

"I'm afraid that is not going to happen," Summer retorted, lifting off of the ground. "You're in the way of us figuring out the signal coming from here. Seeing as how we have taken care of your forces, follow their example and leave."

" _And forsake my pride as the High Leader_?" Moving further towards them, the _Lucifer_ model kept its aim at the _Messiah_ as she continued. " _I have endured countless hatred towards my people, and I have chosen to fight back. The faunas will have the respect they deserve, and mankind will grow to fear us_."

"Considering the fact that your men ran away from two veteran Huntsmen and two trained Valkyrie pilots… I'm beginning to doubt that." She then connected to Yang's fighter. "I'll keep her distracted. Yang, I need you to figure out a way to reach the signal while I keep her busy. Inform me when you accomplish that."

"Got it," the blonde girl acknowledged as Summer gazed at the Valkyrie from her past.

"As for you, High Leader… I think I should inform you how a _Messiah_ can handle a _Lucifer._ "

" _Your taunts mean nothing to me_ ," The woman spoke out. " _I have had this machine ever since Mistral fell to the crazed Huntsman and the Ground Fighters. I intend to use this machine to tear Atlas down for blaming us for the kingdom's demise._ "

"Well get in line." Keeping her eyes on the VF-27γ, the White Rose lifted her Valkyrie on the ground while aiming its weapons at the opposing fighter. "There's a far bigger threat out there that wants all of us either dead or under their control. So if you don't mind…"

" _Why you ignorant—_ " Shots flew passed the _Lucifer_ model, making the machines pilot growl out before she switched over to Gerwalk Mode. " _Very well. If you wish to die, then I, Sienna Khan, shall deliver_."

With that being said, Sienna was about to open fire on the VF-25 as Summer quickly changed to Fighter Mode, flying back towards the surface and into the skies. Glaring, the pilot followed suit as the VF-27γ flew after the _Messiah_ , giving Yang breathing room to do as she was told. Looking back, Summer heavily sighed as she set the song over to **サヨナラノツバサ** , hearing the drones play it out as she flew in the skies.

Getting the fighter in her sights, the White Fang's High Leader roared out as she launched out a volley of missiles towards the White Rose, followed by a barrage of bullet fire. Moving quickly, Summer shifted back into Gerwalk Mode before strafing left and right, returning fire onto the explosives and detonating them prematurely. Aiming her systems, she launched her own hail of bullets towards the VF-27γ, switching between Fighter Mode to gain distance and Battroid Mode to press the attack.

Seeing how skilled the White Rose Valkyrie was, the pilot of the _Lucifer_ growled as she continued her pursuit against the _Messiah_ , exchanging bullets between one another. Unfamiliar with the song being played during the fight, she aimed her targeting systems on the speaker drones attached to the VF-25's wings, only for her fighter to shake as some of Summer's bullets grazed her fighter. Shifting over into Fighter Mode, she flew her machine into the clouds, hoping the human piloting the _Messiah_ would be caught up in her trap inside of it.

Unknown to her, the White Rose herself saw through the plan as she launched a volley of missiles towards the cloud cluster, having them detonate around it and shocking the faunas pilot. As the explosives were destroyed around the sky covers, it resulted in the VF-27γ being exposed as she took aim, firing a few short bursts of rounds at the machine. Some of the rounds managed to graze the _Lucifer_ , shaking the fighter and angering the faunas piloting the mech while the veteran shifted back into Fighter Mode, flying further in the skies.

Not wanting to be mocked, Sienna shifted her own fighter into Fighter Mode, chasing after the VF-25 that has managed to surpass her expectations. Taking a lock on the fighter in front, she smirked as the targeting system took a lock on her foe, only to widen her eyes as Summer unleashed another barrage of missiles back at her. Groaning, she maneuvered her Valkyrie away from the projectiles, taking shots at the explosives to prevent any damage on her machine.

While she was able to take out most of the missiles, she was unable to deal with all of them as a few detonated near her fighter, causing it to further shake and disorient her aim on the _Messiah_. Growling, she launched out her own barrage of homing missiles towards Summer's aircraft, releasing a stream of bullets right afterwards. However, the VF-25 switched over into Gerwalk mode before firing on the explosives, strafing left and right to avoid the incoming rounds before returning fire, forcing the High Leader to do the same.

While Sienna continued to pursue the White Rose fighter as they flew the skies of Remnant, only Summer knew that they were ascending further along the airspace. Using it to her advantage, she increased the strength of her thrusters as she soared towards the sun, shocking the High Leader as she glanced up to see. Due to the sun's brightness, she was unable to make out the form of the VF-25 _Messiah_ , only to be shocked as more missiles sped towards her. Reacting to the threat, she began to weave through the sky as the _Lucifer_ remained in Gerwalk Mode, firing at the homing missiles before they could reach her.

The VF-27γ's alarms started blaring to life as she shot the missiles, and before she had the chance to check, bullets rained down from the sun before impacting her fighter, destroying the _Lucifer_ 's left arm and puncturing holes in the wings. Looking over to the side, she saw the extent of the damage before spotting the VF-15 flying downwards passed her, the White Rose Emblem facing her eyes. Glaring at the Valkyrie responsible, she switched her fighter over into Fighter Mode before resuming her pursuit, opening fire on the machine responsible for damaging her pride.

Looking behind her, Summer could already tell how dedicated Sienna was on trying to take her out, employing tactics that an experienced pilot would have done. However, even as the VF-27γ caught up and opened fire on the _Messiah_ , she was also counting how many opportunities the White Fang's High Leader should have taken but didn't. That tells her that despite months of having the Valkyrie, Sienna Khan didn't take the time to properly learn how to fly the Variable Fighters.

While she continued to distract Sienna in the skies above, Yang just about had it when it came to reaching the signal, knowing that it was further down. Priming the gun pods mounted to her _Siegfried_ 's arms, she pointed them downwards to the ground before opening fire, shooting out everything that she had. Both Raven and Tai were shocked to see their daughter unleashing her rounds on the surface as they stood behind the VF-31, seeing the ammunition dig into the ground before gazing at one another.

"Doesn't this seem like overkill," the Xiao Long patriarch asked his former teammate.

"I thought for sure Yang could have thought of a better option," Raven shouted back over the sound of gunfire. "It seemed she got your bold approach."

"What are you talking about? She got—" He then stopped as the ground under attack eventually gave away, revealing a tunnel that led further down and surprising him. "Well… that's a thing."

"Bam, that was easy," Yang called out as she retracted her fighter's weapons. "All aboard the Xiao Long _Siegfried_ airways. Next stop: Further down to the signal."

With that being said, she lifted off the ground before hovering over the new entryway, letting Raven and Tai onto her wings before descending further down. While she had made leeway towards her objective, she had to stop and think as to why the _Elysion_ received a signal down under Mountain Glenn, as well as smaller scale signals from the Emerald Forest and underneath Vacuo. She shook her head over the idea, more worried about Summer and how she was dealing with their obstacle.

While she did, the White Rose continued to further surprise Sienna as the VF-25 spun during the flight, launching out her last salvo of missiles towards the VF-27γ before nosediving down to the ground. The High Leader growled as she moved towards her left, changing into Battroid Mode before returning fire, destroying almost all of the homing explosives. One missile managed to get close to her fighter before detonating, shaking the machine further as it descended to the ground.

' _This human is impressive_ ,' the High Leader thought in her head as the inside of a cockpit held a determined tiger faunas. ' _Not only does she taunt me away from her allies, she has the skills to back it up. Just who is this human?_ '

' _Her skills are surely lacking_ ," the White Rose thought as she shifted her fighter into Battroid Mode, landing onto the ground and hiding behind one of the ruined buildings. ' _Despite that, her drive is keeping her going in this fight. Still, everybody has got to have a breaking point._ '

Hearing the sound of the VF-27γ's thrusters coming close, she moved her Valkyrie into further hiding as the _Lucifer_ crashed onto the ground on its feet, shaking the surface immensely. Glancing over to the side, she saw how much damage she had inflicted on the fighter, from the punctured wings shown on the back to the severed left arm caused by her bullets. She clutched her controls and waited for the opportunity to finish the fight, overlooking any defence to point out the possible weak points to exploit.

" _I know you're hiding, human,_ " she heard Sienna's voice from the VF-27γ , the _Lucifer_ scanning the area. " _You are far different than the humans that faced me in my prime. I must admit, you have shown me how impressive you are._ " Her silver eyes narrowed as her right eyebrow rose slightly while the White Fang's leader continued. " _However, I've staked my pride in this, the pride of the faunas… and the pride of my ancestors._ "

"Your ancestors, huh," she hummed out in response. "That's admirable of you, but you should focus on your own life." She then smirked. "I've seen how you flew that VF-27γ, and it tells me you haven't had the time to grow accustomed to it. Your drive only got you so far." Her VF-25 then moved out of hiding, gaining the _Lucifer_ 's attention as Summer continued. "But that's all that was to me. Drive. I've had more experience flying Valkyries than you have over the months."

" _How dare you talk to me that way_?" Sienna's fighter then aimed its gun pod towards the _Messiah_ with some difficulty. " _You will show me the respect I deserve._ "

"If you want it, then you have to earn it."

With that being said, she aimed her own gun pod towards the VF-27γ as her eyes narrowed, setting her targeting systems on the Valkyrie's weapon. Sienna, however, had hers set on the VF-25 as a whole, finding any weaknesses to exploit and gain the upper hand in their battle. After what felt like minutes, both fighters opened fire against one another, with Summer jumping out of the way and receiving more grazes on her machine while Sienna's gun pod was destroyed alongside the VF-27γ's leg, disorienting it further.

Breathing heavily, she moved her Valkyrie towards the down fighter before arming her weapon at it, knowing that the White Fang High Leader could no longer do anything. Looking up, the tiger faunas stared in shock as the weapon was near her machine, telling her that she has lost. Groaning, she shut off her _Lucifer_ 's systems while leaving on the comms, heavily sighing before speaking out.

" _Finish it_ ," she called out to Summer. " _End my life…_ "

"Not happening," she answered her, shocking the Fang's leader. "You may have been rough, but your drive is enough." She then sighed as she lowered her weapon. "Call off your forces. We're not here to fight."

" _But why? With your machines, you could have—_ "

"Because we're already in a war that costed lives." The White Rose could already imagine the shock on Sienna's face as she continued. "It is not a war that you're familiar with, but it has reached Remnant when Atlas was devastated not long ago." Switching over into Gerwalk Mode, she looked over the wrecked fighter before looking forward. "If you want less bloodshed, then pull out. I won't kill you."

With that being said, the VF-25 _Messiah_ flew off towards the underground, leaving behind a shocked Sienna Khan as the VF-27γ remained in its spot. Finding the spot where she exited out of the caverns, Summer began her descent down into the underground ruins, looking around to find Yang and the others. Spotting a hole on the ground wide enough for the Variable Fighter, she positioned it over it before continuing her descent, surrounded by the rock and dirt that coated the surroundings.

Humming to herself, she looked back up to see if Qrow chose to follow them, only to shake her head over the idea. Her thoughts were then disrupted as the caverns grew darker until she entered a wide space, surprising her over how thin the hole was. Spotting the VF-31 _Siegfried_ being flown by Yang, she flew towards it, only to stop as something unbelievable was in front of the machine.

"What the hell…" she muttered out, going wide eyed as her sight took in a sight she never thought she would see. "Is this… is this for real?"

"Mom," she heard Yang call out to her. "Just… just what am I looking at…? It's just like… It's just like the _Elysion_."

"A Battle Macross… similar in size to the Battle _Frontier_."

"If this is where the signal we're sent to look for is, then…"

"If you look at it, it looks badly damaged," Raven pointed out, getting a closer look. "Not to mention the wear and tear of the place. It must have taken centuries to form that much."

"OK, so a big, giant robot that is way bigger than the one docked by Beacon, right," Taiyang questioned. "Is there anything it goes by, like um… a classification?"

"Let me check," the VF-25's pilot answered, flying closer to the ruined Battle Macross and shining her lights on the surface. She already made out some of the lettering, knowing that the vessel once belonged to the N.U.N.S. forces. However, once she shone the lights onto where the bridge was, she gasped as the name echoed into her mind and remembered what happened to it.

Memories of the Vajra war came into her head as the name laid into her eyes as information came back, causing her to gasp heavily. The Macross before her was once part of an escort fleet, once ordered to be a part of the _Macross Galaxy Colonization Fleet_ , only to be lost when the Vajra came in full force. Even after the war ended, the escort fleet was declared lost in action, but the sight of the Battle Macross lying dormant in front of her caused her eyes to widen more.

"This is it…" she muttered out, being heard by the other three near her. "The lost flagship of the _Galaxy_ 's escort fleet." She then gasped before gazing at Yang's fighter. "Guys, I found it."

"Found what," Yang questioned, more confused as ever. "I know this is a Macross but—"

"It's the _Nirvana_." Gulping heavily, she gazed at the fortress as she continued to hover. "The Macross _Nirvana…_ the flagship of the _Nirvana_ escort fleet… believed to be lost in the Vajra war. To think that it's been here on Remnant all this time." She then gasped as the revelation came to her. "Does this mean that… Remnant's humanity are the descendants of the _Nirvana_ fleet?"

"Summer, you're not making any sense," Raven pointed out, more confused as ever.

"It does make sense." She then further thought into it. "Then the base in the Emerald Forest where I found the VF-25 was once one of the carriers belonging to it… and the base underneath Mistral…"

"Mom," was all that Yang could whisper out before seeing the VF-25 shift back into Fighter Mode, flying out of the space where she came from. She was confused as to why the woman that raised her as a child would react like that and, glancing at Raven, could only stare in wonder over Summer's actions. Gulping, she ascended her fighter as it scaled upwards, reaching what looked like the docking bay on the decaying _Nirvana_ , curiosity gripping her interest further.

While she did, Summer found herself back above the surface of Mountain Glenn, setting her course towards the Macross _Elysion_. Her thoughts continued to race over the thought of the _Nirvana_ fleet being responsible for Remnant's humanity being on the planet, trying to figure out what exactly brought the Battle Macross over to the planet. She shook the thoughts away as she contacted the _Elysion_ , connecting to the bridge and seeing Ernest's face on her console.

" _Summer, what's wrong,_ " he asked her out, seeing her expression and growing worried. " _What happened out there_?"

"Captain, there is an important matter I would wish to bring up to you," she answered him, gripping her controls. "Trust me when I say this, you're not going to believe what I have to say."

" _1_ _st_ _Lt. Rose, what are you talking about? What 'important matter?'_ "

"Captain…" she then chose her words wisely before addressing him once more. "What do you know of the _Nirvana_ escort fleet?"

* * *

 **A/N: I'm going to end this here, but more surprises have arrived.**

 **There were a few points from the reviews I got from the last chapter that I thought would be nice to input into this piece of work. First off, the students are finally coming back to Beacon academy, taking in the sight of the Macross standing tall behind it. Not to mention the cameo appearance of Team CFVY and Makina's reaction to Velvet's appearance, the Huntsmen in training took the time to gaze at Chaos' combat footage playing on the holo-projectors. But the biggest thing in this chapter was the STRQ reunion, White Fang running off to Sienna Khan having a VF-27γ** _ **Lucifer**_ **and battling Summer. However, none of that pales to the White Rose's shock when she gazes at the Macross** _ **Nirvana**_ **, where the chapter got the name.**

 **I had this in mind when I started the third arc, and I figured the chapter after this would explain how the** _ **Nirvana**_ **escort fleet arrived in Remnant, resulting in the VF-171** _ **Nightmares**_ **in Mistral from the first chapter. It's going to be a huge shock to the humans of Remnant when they learn that they were descendants of the fleet, with the faunas being native inhabitants of the planet. I'll get to that in the month after the next, as by April 1** **st** **I'll move to my other project.**

 **Also, if anyone who's been following this is interested in doing a reaction fic, you have my permission to do so. Just make sure to PM me about it, but other than that, go nuts.**

 **Review Repies:**

 **Shidou Haruka:** _ **I see you use the Frontier movies instead of tv series. The movie is better anyway. And surprisingly we also get a nice Raven Branwen for once and it seems she and Summer will be a deadly duo and from their interaction I can guess that they are as close as real sisters. Kinda look forward to the next chapter to see what else you have mind. The Raven and Summer duo will be interesting and again, I also want to see a Jaune x Mikumo here for the lolz, though it might work even better than imagined. Maybe hearing Mikumo's voice when he flies a VF will make him forget about hos airsickness and even boost his ability like Freyja did with Hayate.  
And I'm surprised you recognize me through my failed crossover which I am revising.**_

 **Thank you for noticing that, but the big challenge for me when I get to doing the next crossover is how to figure out how it's going to work. Out of the Frontier series, I have watched the TV series twice or three times, alongside the movie The Wings of Goodbye (** **サヨナラノツバサ** **)** **But once I have that figured out, it's just the matter of putting it into words.**

 **As for the Summer and Raven duo, I always liked the idea of Raven being like a close friend to her to the point where they act like sisters, similar to Ruby and Yang's relationship.**

 **And for Jaune… I had to poke some fun for him in this chapter. I mean come on, how many times was it when we see Mikumo alone in Macross Delta, she's always naked? Thinking further, I had to put down his reaction in it.**

 **I think your crossover was the first thing I read from your works, and I liked how it went. That, and I have also been reading your fic '** _ **Song of the Stars**_ **,' waiting for the next chapter to be published. I'll be looking forward to your revision of your crossover.**

 **Alexwu704:** _ **Well the good news is Beacon Academy will be reopen in no time**_

 _ **Blake's parents were shocked by their daughter death and learning how she died fighting for her friends**_

 _ **It looks like Adam really became more savage now he's infected with the Var Syndrome**_

 _ **I have a feeling that Yang must confront Adam on Blake's behalf**_

 _ **The NUN Major Maran thinks he can arrest Summer and bring her in quitely, but his men's were got their butt kicked by Raven and a little bit of teamwork**_

 _ **I wonder how Yang and Raven encounter will be like in this story**_

 _ **I have a feeling that Maran might do something stupid like helping Jacques Schnee to work together to arrest Summer**_

 _ **JNRs looking fine except Vomit boy**_

 _ **I hoped that Sun and Neptune are okay back at Mistreal and come to see their friends and ask what happened to Blake**_

 _ **Lastly, I hope Qrow and Tai meeting Summer alive will not give them too much shocking for them. I had a feeling that Team CFVY and Team CRDL will make a cameo in the later chapter. I have a feeling that CRDL is infected by the Var Syndrome and play the role of bullying students or in this the Walkure or the citizens.**_

 _ **Velvet might get hugged by Makina because of her Rabbit ears**_

 _ **I also thought of Neo because she survived so maybe she appeared in the later chapter so does Cinder and Salem**_

 _ **P.S. See you in the next chapter**_

 **Oh my god, you have a lot to say about the last chapter, it's going to be hard dissecting it to comment back. I think I'll just say thanks for your continued support in this, and look forward to the next chapter.**

 **Xzorshio:** _ **Hey dude! I really, really understand your sentiments towards Harmony Gold since we also feel the same because those assholes literally hostaged the Macross series for not legally spreading it internationally. Shoji Kawamori also expressed that he really wanted the other Macross series to be spread internationally since I've personally saw him last August when he made sudden visit in our country (the moment that news came out, I immediately went there and have my Macross merchandise signed and took photo with him). Fortunately, I joined Macross Fan Central to learn about the updates and also other groups dedicated to Macross whether SDF up to Delta. And also, Walkurë Wa Uragiranai is already released. They have three new songs and Walkurë Ga Tomaranai without Freyja's vocals. The rest are already the instrumentals. Sorry for that long rant and official comments on Macross and here's my review. Thank goodness you really made an in-depth conversation between Glynda and Summer. It feels like Glynda has been neglected in the past volumes since her VA is fired (not sure) by RT and I also feel that doesn't really give enough justice for her. And also, Maran again? You did really made him an asshole and made N.U.N.S. sound they're bad but actually they're not. It's actually like a glitch on their chain of command and Maran is one of those glitches. And well, JNR have their funny moments too until they heard about Blake's demise. To think Nora has the surname Valkyrie doesn't mean she can already pilot a Valkyrie or heck, even a bullhead. Haha! I think that's all I can say for now. I'm still waiting for the movie toncome out because I might add something in my fanfic in the future some elements from that movie. Ciao!**_

 **You got to meet Shoji Kawamori himself? Lucky. And don't mind me asking, but what kind of Macross merch do you have? All I have is the SV-262Hs Draken III Fighter Mode model kit that I got at Otakuthon in Montreal (which I need to get to assembling).**

 **Yeah, there was a situation involving her VA insulting Ashley Jenkins (Coco's Voice Actress). I don't know what else happened, this was shared to me by my friend.**

 **And Yeah, I did make Maran a major asshole in that chapter, and I agree, there are those in the N.U.N.S. that doesn't think like he does. He just reminds me of another N.U.N.S. official from Frontier.**

 **Nora is the crazy one in JN(P)R. She should have known better than to try to fly the Bullhead the same way Ruby does with her Valkyrie.**

 **Marcus the Kane:** _ **bzzzttt...**_

 _ **Jaune: Hey look! I made an appearance!**_

 _ **Nora: Me too!**_

 _ **Ren: Same.**_

 _ **Marcus: Ain't this a surprise. Great chapter as always.**_

 _ **bzzzttt...**_

 **I'm starting to miss the old review style you had. Still, any review is good for me. (you should get that fourth wall fixed)**

 **XY Kid:** _ **Great chapter! Finally! Everybody's favorite, Jaune Arc, appears once again!**_

 **I don't think he's my favorite. That spot's reserved for the girls of RWBY.**

 **I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. What do you think? Leave a Favorite, Follow and Review**

 **\With that out of the way, I'm BlazefireDrago, signing out.**


	23. Truth and Revelations

**Disclaimer: RWBY is owned by Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth Productions, while Macross is owned by Shoji Kawamori and Studio Satelight.**

* * *

As soon as she was told that their destination was Beacon Academy on the continent of Sanus, Reina had the pleasure of compiling data of Chaos' previous engagements as well as weaving Remnant's communication networks into the globular networks. While the former task proved to be a challenge due to the information she has to put together, the latter had been nothing but a joke to her. Using her consoles and cyberspace, she had tackled the firewalls developed by Atlas with ease, even taking out the virus that had been in place that caused the combat school's collapse.

She stood by what she had said to Winter on the comm when bringing up the virus and, letting her eyes scan the waves of data, started working on a stronger firewall for the school provided by their technology. Remaining in her room, she weaved bits of data from Remnant's CCT network and connected them to the network developed by the N.U.G. government, slowly getting closer to the isolated planet being a part of the system and connecting the people to the rest of the galaxy. Shutting the data down for the time being, the girl breathed a sigh of relief as she was about to take her break.

" _Rei-Rei, are you there_ ," she heard Makina on her comm, making her reach out to it and placing it in her ear. " _Rei-Rei, hello?_ "

"I hear you, Makina," she answered her, cracking her neck and wincing over the pop sounds. "I was just about to take a break when you called me."

" _Sorry about that_ , _but something just came up, and the captain wants you to sort out a new wave of information immediately._ "

The hacker only sighed once more as she spoke out again. "Makina, can't this wait? I'm tired enough as it is. I need to have my jellyfish ramen."

" _What about the data from the_ Nirvana," the girl stopped as her friend's voice echoed into her ear. " _We need to figure out how the_ Nirvana _got to this world and appear decayed after what looked like centuries of inactivity_."

" _Nirvana_ … as in the _Nirvana_ escort fleet?"

" _The very same, Rei-Rei_." She then heard some activity occur in the mechanic's background before speaking out again. " _Look, I have to get going. Ru-Ru invited me over to share some tales of Ragna with her friends, and she wanted me to get the images of our relaxing times._ "

"Yeah, sure. I'll send some footage of Ragna over to you," she affirmed before stretching her arms. "I'll definitely need a massage later for the work I'm about to do."

" _Thank you, Rei-Rei_ ," Makina beamed out with a smile over her end. " _I'll be sure to send over your ramen later tonight._ "

Nodding with a smile, the hacker shut off her communicator before sitting back down at her station, loosening her fingers before re-immersing herself into cyberspace. True to her partner's word, she was receiving a whole stream of data belonging to the missing Battle Macross fortress, licking her lips as the surge came from Summer's group who remained in the area underneath Mountain Glenn. Breathing once more, she calmed down as she started to go through the information, taking glances at the clock to ensure she gets her food.

In the deepest part of her mind, she thought she'll be stuck through it for a long while.

* * *

"NO WAY! YOU ACTUALLY GOT TO FLY IN OUTER SPACE?"

"Yeah, I did… even if it's technically near planetary orbit that one time."

True to Makina's thinking, the young Ruby had been sharing her tales about her time on Ragna and the missions she took on, conversing with the three members of Team JNPR in front of her. The mechanic/Walkure singer could already tell that the time spent away from each other as the four teens have changed in terms of appearance, yet they still remained themselves in terms of personality. She did have to learn about the three in front of her, thought from what the young reaper told her, she didn't have a problem figuring out who's who.

Right now, as the dusk slowly turned into night, the group had decided to spend their time together in Ragnyannyan at the Island ship. They had passed by any returning student/transfer who got the message about the school's revival while they remained in shock over the level of technology inside the dome. They even passed by Team CRDL, who surprisingly came back just to continue their studies before reaching the restaurant, leading to the conversation Ruby was having with the others.

"Does it really matter about the details," Nora commented before leaning forward, smiling. "You got to fly out there in space, taking the fight over against the Windermereans while protecting the N.U.N.S."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that, considering I did damage the VF-171s stationed over at Ionedeth," Ruby pointed out, taking a bite out of her tuna special. "Even if I did save those pilots, they couldn't help us fight back against the Aerial Knights."

"Still, they got to live to fight another day," Jaune brought up, poking the fried fermented spider sitting on his plate. "What I don't get is why you guys actually serve this stuff. Tuna, I get, but jellyfish? Spiders?"

"Don't question it, fearless leader," the hammer wielder shouted before eating out of her bowl. "They only look disgusting, but they taste absolutely amazing."

"You still can't deny that they look disgusting."

"Moving on from that," Ren took over as his two teammates got into an argument. "You were just about to tell us about your mission after Ionedeth, where you went and blended in with the populace?"

"That's right Ren-Ren," Makina spoke for him, getting a giggle out of Nora over the nickname. "It was our infiltration mission over on Voldor, where we had to figure out what exactly Windermere was planning."

"We slipped in undetected onto the planet's surface, and then dressed up to appear like the Voldorians," the young girl told him, looking down before continuing. "It was also the mission where we showed them Blake's cat ears for the first time, and it was then that she decided to no longer wear her bow."

"I still miss Bla-Bla's cute cat ears. But because of them, she was able to blend in with the local populace and be considered a native Voldorian."

"Yup." Taking one more bite out of her ramen, the young Rose continued. "Anyways, we eventually found out that Windermere had a local place of interest, the Protoculture Ruins, under lockdown and used the Var controlled N.U.N.S. forces for grunt work."

"Both you and Haya-Haya showed complete displeasure over how Windermere's treating the Var units." Grabbing her glass, Makina took a sip out of her drink before speaking again. "But then we went on to infiltrate the Protoculture Ruins and find out what they were up to, and found out that they've been using both Windermerean apples and the water from the ruins to accelerate fold bacteria growth to create more Var Infected. That lead into another fight against the Aerial Knights, but we were able to bring Voldor's ace pilot back to his senses before leaving with our reports."

"Then afterwords, I found out those very same apples and water were being distributed by Windermere here on Remnant, so Weiss and I came back here to take care of it and prevent any more Var outbreaks closer to home."

"That explains why Vacuan Oasis was suddenly shut down," Ren commented as his hand rubbed his chin. "It was a Windermerean front on Remnant to gain control of us."

"Exactly."

"That makes me glad my hunch steered me away from their products, even if it was just apples and water," Nora muttered out.

"You only prefer pancakes anyways," Jaune pointed out to her, causing her to stick her tongue out to mock him as Makina spoke.

"Despite that, we couldn't stop Windermere from taking control of most of the Globular cluster, and after our attempts to stop them; we were forced to abandon Ragna when the main Windermerean armada arrived in force."

"We do plan on coming back to push them back one of these days, but right now, our focus is to settle here on Remnant and, hopefully, build a large enough fighting force to combat Windermere's strength," Ruby told them, finishing her tuna special.

"Well, as dark as that tale was, can you tell us anything that you had involving fun," Jaune asked her, making both the Delta 05 pilot and the mechanic go into thought.

"There was the jellyfish festival that happened on Ragna," the reaper pointed out before nodding. "Yeah, after I came back from Remnant, Yang had both Weiss and I help with their stand for the festival. I thought I was going to die after dragging over so many heavy boxes."

"And it was hilarious when we explained what it mostly celebrated," the pink haired girl laughed out, causing the teens aside from Ruby to become confused. "Basically, the jellyfish festival is an event for lovers, where a legend states that if a couple confesses their love under the jellyfish on that night, they'll be forever bound together."

"WAIT, WHAT," the hyperactive girl shouted out before gripping Ruby's shoulders, shaking the poor pilot like crazy. 'WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME ABOUT IT, HUH? More importantly, WHY DIDN'T YOU BRING REN AND I OVER TO THE FESTIVAL?"

"I didn't know about it until that night, Nora," Ruby said out while being shaken, getting dizzy about it. "Plus, you know I was busy with what was going on."

"Plus, how would you react when you find out Ragna was an ocean world," Ren questioned her, only to recoil as she got close to his face.

"Three words: Endless. Beach. Parties," Nora pointed out, only to pout as the others shook their heads. "What? It's the perfect place to hold beach parties."

"Now's not really a good time for them, though."

"Oh be quiet, Ren."

"To be honest, Wei-Wei thought the same thing about bringing this Neptune guy over to Ragna," Makina brought up before giggling. "Only for Ru-Ru to remind her that he was afraid of the water… Ironic as his name belonged to the Roman god of the sea."

"SERIOUSLY?"

"Yeah."

"Hey Ruby," the young girl turned to face her fellow team leader as he asked her. "Do you know when Yang will be coming back? She's been gone for the whole day."

"I have no idea, Jaune," she answered honestly. "She left with both mom and Raven to Mountain Glenn to look into a signal. From what I heard, it got my mom all worked up."

"Perhaps because she discovered the decaying remains of a Battle Macross," all eyes landed on the Walkure singer as Makina continued. "If you think the size of the Macross _Elysion_ was big, then wait until you see the size of the Battle Macross that your mom's at, Ru-Ru."

"How big are we talking here?"

"Huge." She then expanded her arms to prove the point. "So huge that it can touch the clouds."

"Whoa," the blonde knight muttered out as his eyes widened, trying to picture the size of the fortress.

"From what I heard, though, some of the personnel are heading over with a security team to keep them safe." The mechanic then hummed in thought as she continued. "Right now, Rei-Rei's going over the data from the Macross, looking through to learn about Remnant's history in the eyes of the missing escort fleet."

"Maybe we'll figure out why those VF-171 _Nightmares_ were at Mistral in the first place," Ruby commented, grabbing her drink. "We'll know for sure when Reina finishes her work soon."

The others nodded in agreement as the young girl drank out of her glass, thinking about why her mom would be shocked over the sight over the Battle Macross underneath Mountain Glenn. She pushed the thoughts aside as she continued to converse with her friends from Remnant about her life as a Valkyrie pilot, getting some laughs in when they talked about the mercat known for stealing food from the restaurant. She did get a little emotional when Blake was mentioned, fighting against the feline-fish in snatching away the tuna special from the customers.

However, as the group talked further into their conversation, Jaune immediately tensed as he spotted Mikumo walking closer towards them, smirking as her eyes laid on him. The others around him, curious about his earlier action, only sighed as they knew the Mysterious Venus will come around to tease him as she approached and, before she could get the chance, he stood up straight and excused himself before leaving. The young Reaper heavily sighed as she knew how dense the blonde man was before getting back to the talks as the lead Walkure singer sat down with them.

* * *

As life returned to normal around the academy grounds, the returning students have slowly started to get accustomed to the sight of the Macross _Elysion_ and the Island ship docked nearby. While classes don't start until the school itself was fully cleared and repaired, the huntsmen in training spent their time training themselves with their weapons or continue observing the combat footage of the Delta Platoon's skirmishes against the Var Syndrome and Windermere's Aerial Knights. Many still couldn't help but watch in shock over the battles Chaos was a part of, especially from the combat footage of the battle of Ionedeth.

However, this particular day turned out to be one with a tense atmosphere as the form of Summer's VF-25 _Messiah_ flew in the skies, lowering altitude before switching into Gerwalk Mode and landing on the Macross. Due to being at the resting place for the Macross _Nirvana_ , she was more tense than ever as memories of the Vajra _Frontier_ echoed in her mind, although she quickly shut them away as she got out of her Valkyrie. Leaving her fighter in the hands of the mechanics, she made her way over towards the bridge, changing out of her flight suit and into her S.M.S. uniform before continuing her pace towards her destination.

Eventually reaching the control room, she was greeted with the sight of the Delta Platoon, all adorning their uniforms with Winter standing beside them. Alongside with them, Walkure stood in wonder while Reina was by the Captain's seat, waiting for the Zentradi to arrive. The one group that surprised her was the three members of JNPR, who gathered behind Ruby as they all wore Chaos jackets over their outfits.

Before she could get herself heard, the familiar form of Ernest Johnson appeared as he moved towards his seat, sitting down before heavily sighing. Opening his eyes, he gazed over to those that have gathered, counting down those from Remnant assembled in with the others. Nodding to himself, he straightened himself on his spot as the others tensed slightly, knowing that he has their attention while Reina tightened her hold on her datapad.

"I'm certain you all know why I called you here today," he announced out to the group in front of him, seeing them shake their heads. "Well, normally I would let you all spend time getting accustomed to this planet. However, some recent discoveries and information has prompted me to inform you all of what Reina and I have looked into."

"And what would that be, Captain," Arad asked him, leaning on the side as he kept his gaze on the Zentradi. "Considering you asked not only for the Delta Platoon and Walkure, but also the White Rose and our Remnant contacts."

"Which begs the question," Glynda spoke up as she entered alongside the members of STRQ. "What is all of this about?"

Looking at the hacker, the CO of the Chaos forces sighed before snapping his fingers, prompting visuals to appear behind him as he spoke. "Getting to the point, we have finally solved one of the mysteries surrounding the VF-171 _Nightmare_ s that appeared in Mistral months ago."

"The day our lives changed, right," Jaune questioned his team and Ruby, who nodded along as an answer while the Zentradi continued.

"After we have settled down near Beacon Academy and began repairs, we have obtained signals from various points on the planet." Snapping his fingers, the visual displayed the map of the planet, with blips blaring at certain points as he spoke. "We've noticed that two of the signals were close to the Kingdom of Vale, with another on the continent underneath Vacuo. We have to assume the signal underneath Mistral was where the Valkyries came from during the Var attack and thought it was a base of operations."

"However, after going through the information salvaged from the _Nirvana_ Summer found under Mountain Glenn, the signals may very well be the resting place of the rest of the escort fleet we believed was lost in the Vajra war," Reina took over, typing in her tablet gazing at the shocked faces. "With that in mind, the captain and I have been throwing theories into humanity's evolution on this planet."

"At first, we thought the humans living on Remnant have grown naturally on the soil of the planet," the Zentradi spoke again before sighing. "The data, however, proved that theory to be debunked, as the sight of an N.U.N.S. fleet hiding underneath the ground raised concerns between us."

"So, basically, the _Nirvana_ Escort Fleet disappeared during the Vajra war before arriving here," Chuck muttered out in shock, frowning in thought. "But then, wouldn't we have had any contact with them?"

"If it was in normal circumstances, then it would have been possible." Closing his eyes, Ernest crossed his arms as he kept up the explanation. "Unfortunately, the information salvaged showed that they didn't return to us."

"What do you mean, Captain," the young Reaper asked this time, growing more uncertain by the second.

"Reina, do the honor and read out the information."

"Roger," the hacker acknowledged before gazing at her datapad, reading out the damage report from the _Nirvana_. " **Captain's Log, serial number 47901-28390-FH. We were given an assignment from Central N.U.N.S. on Earth to act as an escort fleet for the** _ **Macross Galaxy Colonization Fleet**_ **, receiving a collective of Uraga and Northampton class cruisers to assist in the mission. While I myself wondered why Spacy HQ would send a lone Battle Macross alongside a few cruisers, the soldier in me knew that if it was important to them, then we are to follow whatever orders they distribute.**

" **However, once we have rendezvoused with the Uraga and Northampton class vessels, we were suddenly ambushed by a large armada of Vajra forces. I had received the report that they were responsible for the destruction of the** _ **117**_ _ **th**_ _ **Large Exploration Fleet**_ **, knowing that they were not to be underestimated. Knowing the danger the crew of both the** _ **Nirvana**_ **and the assembled cruisers were, I gave the order to initiate an emergency fold jump to escape the enemy, though I fear that it may be the start of my many mistakes as Captain of the N.U.N.S.** _ **Nirvana**_ **forces.**

" **I never anticipated the Vajra entering the Fold Gates we left behind as they followed us through the Fold Tunnel, opening fire on our forces assembled for the** _ **Galaxy**_ **. We reluctantly opened fire back at the enemy, but the damage was done as our generators were severely damaged. Afterwards, our fleet came up on the impending Fold Fault with the damage we have sustained, and I knew our lives were sealed.** "

"Is this a summary of what happened to the _Nirvana_ ," Weiss commented, getting a nod from the Captain as Reina continued reading the report.

" **I never expected that we would exit the Fold Tunnel afterwards, appearing in orbit above a planet with the perfect living conditions for humanity. Our vessels had sustained damage from the Vajra during the trip through Fold space, but any attempts to perform another jump would prove suicidal. Realizing our only option, I gave the order to land on the planet and commence repairs on our small fleet. Checking the time and compared it to when we executed the emergency jump, I was shocked and horrified to learn that we moved several hundred years in the past, meaning we no longer have contact with Central N.U.N.S. or any colonization fleet.**

" **Once we landed, we were greeted with the sight of a humanoid civilization similar to humans in the past, with the defining feature being various animal appendages. They greeted us with uncertainty, calling themselves** _ **Cimerians**_ **while gazing up on the Battle Macross that stood its ground. They were conflicted with allowing us to settle on their planet, but I assured them that we'll not attack them and forge relations between their people and the N.U.N.S.** "

"Was that how the faunas were referred as," Glynda asked out before frowning in thought, muttering to herself. "But that's impossible. This can't be how humanity started on Remnant."

"There's also no mention of the Grimm," Raven pointed out, humming in thought. "This means that they appear later, right?"

"The Grimm have been around since the beginning of time. If it wasn't for Dust, the Kingdoms wouldn't be standing today."

"That's not how the _Nirvana_ recorded it," Reina interrupted, skimming through the data before stopping at a later report, reading out its contents. " **After establishing settlements around the planet alongside the** _ **Cimerians**_ **, My only concern left was the eventual return of the Vajra forces. After visiting many of the cruisers we have placed on the ground, I found out that the N.U.N.S. forces have captured some of their brethren to study and research ways of countering their weapons. It shocked me to know end, but then thought about why the Vajra attacked my fleet in the first place: To reclaim those we have stolen from them.**

" **Over the course of the research, we were often visited by the elders, who offered information on terminology such as 'Dust' and 'Aura,' providing examples for us to look into. Intrigued by the discovery, the scientists on board the** _ **Nirvana**_ **began to work on a project that would utilize those elements alongside the recently discovered Fold Bacteria harvested from the captured, dormant Vajra. Their only issue is finding someone who would be willing enough to test their experiment, while my only worry is whether or not humanity survives the war against the mechanical monstrosities.** "

"In the end, they were more worried about the state of humanity during the Vajra war," Arad pointed out, frowning as he listened to the Hacker. "A shame we lost the fleet before the war even started."

"They could have been useful during the battle against the Vajra _Frontier_ ," Summer muttered to herself.

" **Eventually, the leading scientist of the project, Erica Saunders, volunteered herself as they injected her with the Fold Bacteria after she received an aura from the** _ **Cimerian**_ **elders. At first nothing out of the ordinary occurred, but after hours of waiting, she requested to be isolated after her body went through changes. It ended when we observed her new appearance as her stark black hair turned pitch white, her skin becoming increasingly pale and the sclera of her eyes turned black while retaining her violet eye color.**

" **Over time, the project has grown impressive results for the research teams as Saunders tapped into herself and created an unusual werewolf, where it was pitch black with certain elements containing what looked like bone armor. Surprisingly, some of the outlines, as well as the beast's eyes, were the same shade of color as our lead scientist's irises, and when it approached the science team, it warmed up to them. Saunders suggested that, whenever possible, that we should arm the creatures she made with weapons and durable armor plating.**

" **However, things turned to the worst when she began to experience pain, despite the tests saying that she was in perfect health and, when questioned about the sudden spikes, she claimed that she heard a melody echoing around her. The rest of the team, including myself, never heard what she was referring to and, thinking that we don't believe her, she lashed out at us as her irises turned blood red before creating a Wyvern, breaching out and leaving the Macross. I still remember the last look she gave me before she disappeared from the horizon, one full of rage and regret as the monster flew her away from the** _ **Nirvana**_ **. Not only did we lose our shot of fighting against the Vajra, but I lost one of our key scientists that stuck with us after the war with the Protodeviln.** "

"What they described," Raven spoke up, interrupting Reina's focus as the samurai gazed at the Zentradi. "Could that have been the Birth of the Grimm?"

"Considering what we witnessed earlier and the description read out by Reina, it seems to be the case," Ernest answered her as he kept his eyes closed.

"But that makes no sense whatsoever," Glynda argued, stepping forth before looking at the others. "The Grimm are soulless creatures that only yearns to kill us all. How could the creatures of darkness be a weapon to be used against the Vajra?"

"Humanity was at a trying time where the _Nirvana_ came from." Looking over the horizon visible from the _Elysion_ 's bridge, the captain sighed while keeping a glare in his eyes. "The Vajra targeted both the _Frontier_ and _Galaxy_ colonization fleets afterwards, so any option was available to the N.U.N.S. as the war escalated."

"First, humans were proven not to be native on Remnant and now the Grimm was to be used as a weapon," Winter muttered out before shaking her head. "What other surprises await us?"

"Reina," the Zentradi gained the green haired girl's attention. "Fast forward to centuries afterwards, up to the point of the _civil war_ this planet endured."

"Roger," she acknowledge, skimming through the data before stopping, taking a deep breath as she read out to the others. " **Most people that remained on this planet for the years following the war will remember it as the** _ **Great War**_ **, where the main established countries and colonies are merely waging a battle between one another. We fear the truth would fade away as lies will be taught to future generations, obscuring what really happened in our time. Knowing that to be inevitable, the higher ups has ordered for an accurate recounting of the events that led up to the war.**

" **In truth, everything has been stable over humanity's stay on** _ **Cimeria**_ **, but it quickly ended when the colonies on both the Solitas and Anima continents began stating that without Central N.U.N.S. around, we are free to break off. Most of the humans living on both of those continents began to enforce harsh inhuman treatments on the local inhabitants on the planet and, without the aid of N.U.N.S. reinforcements from Earth, we on the Sanus continent vowed to deal with the situation ourselves. However, we all lacked the training to fly the VF-171** _ **Nightmares**_ **, rendering our options to fight on the ground on an even level.**

" **However, despite our efforts, the war has taken a deep toll on both sides as those that wished to stay with the N.U.N.S. and those who desire to break off and become independent fought on all fronts. We even had to use the Macross cannon to destroy most of Solitas' new carriers, shattering the moon in the process. I fear that, even though there has been an official order for a ceasefire, the damage we have dealt to** _ **Cimeria**_ **can nt be undone, leaving it a remnant of its former self.**

" **This may be the last report done for the N.U.N.S. remaining on this planet. To those that stumble on our buried fortress, learn from our mistakes, and ensure that such events won't happen once more.** "

Lowering her tablet, Reina closed her eyes alongside the members of both Walkure and the Delta Platoon while Ruby, her team, STRQ, JN(P)R and Glynda stood in shock over listening to what they heard. Some of them were still processing the information of the Grimm being made to be a weapon against the Vajra, and now they learned that the Great War, a war between Kingdoms, was in fact a war to decide whether to stay in the N.U.N.S. or breaking off to become independent. Even the use of the _Nirvana_ 's Macross cannon leading to the shattered moon they see now was a shock to hear.

"The legend of the mighty Macross was true," Ren commented, getting everyone's attention. "My parents, rest in peace, always told me the story of the Macross being the start of man whenever I was tired. To think that the legend was in fact true, and that the Faunas were the native residents of Remnant… no doubt that this will be a shock to all of Remnant."

"But that's impossible," Winter argued, shaking her head. "Man was made from Dust, Aura and semblances were a gift from the two brothers, and that the Grimm has been on this world for all time."

"I assure you the data from the _Nirvana_ is accurate," Reina countered. "Despite being underground and decaying at the rate it was in, it was still connected to the established network from the fortress, along with the Uraga and Northampton class cruisers." She then narrowed her eyes as she continued. "Plus, excluding the Macross, there should be one of those cruisers in each of the Kingdoms hiding underground. However, when I looked into Atlas, there was only a faint signal, meaning that the cruiser may have been destroyed."

"Could it be due to the General's expedition years ago, back when he was a colonel?" Seeing them with puzzled expressions, she chose to elaborate. "Nine years ago, Ironwood was a part of an expedition to explore a base of unknown origin. All I knew that he was accompanied by the Headmaster of Beacon before Ozpin, and that once it was destroyed, planning and development of the Paladins started with assistance from the Schnee Dust Company."

"Something about those ugly machines screamed the wrong way when I saw them," Makina commented, thinking. "It's almost as if they were trying to imitate the Destroid Cheyennes."

"That's because they are imitations," Reina muttered, looking through her datapad. "I did some more hacking on my spare time while connecting Remnant to the Globular Network, and I found out the Schnee Dust Company had actually stole N.U.N.S. blueprints of the combat walkers." Seeing Winter's face raise in shock along Weiss', she spoke further about it. "Basically, the plans for the Paladins were due to the SDC stealing the Destroid blueprints and manipulating it into the design Atlas uses now."

"My father's a criminal…" the ex-heiress pointed out before looking at Ernest. "Does that mean that…?"

"He'll be tried in front of Central N.U.N.S. after the war is over, and it will spell the end of the corporation," he summed up. "I know it's important to you, since it's tied to your family, but…"

"Don't worry about it. I lost my claim to it when Windermere attacked Atlas." She then smirked a little. "And since I am a pilot of the Delta Platoon and a Schnee, I can testify on what other crimes he committed."

The Captain only smirked in response before allowing giving the dismissal and, without even thinking, Winter ran off to process what she had heard from Reina. Taking a glance over to the others, he nodded to them as they slowly left the bridge to gather their thoughts before turning to face the horizon. The Zentradi knew that the Macross _Nirvana_ , despite being underground, will have to resurface at some point at the future and, considering that Chaos spotted it, it's under his jurisdiction.

While in thought, the girls of RWBY all processed what they learned and compared them to the legends they heard as children. While the story of the _Nirvana_ 's appearance under Mountain Glenn and the events leading up to the Great War were a surprise to them, it did explain why there were VF-171 _Nightmare_ s underneath the Kingdom of Mistral when the Var struck the planet. They all thought about their friend and teammate Blake, who would have been shocked about the Faunas' original designation before the war.

"So girls," Yang started, placing her hands in her jacket pockets as her eyes gazed over to them. "After hearing about the Grimm and their original purpose, what does that make us?"

"What do you mean," Weiss asked her, not knowing what she meant.

"I mean, the Grimm were meant to be used against the Vajra, only for that scientist to turn them against us. Does killing the Grimm mean that we're Huntresses or N.U.N.S. traitors?"

"Whatever happened back then did have a backlash." Humming in thought, the white haired girl turned her head before speaking again. "I mean, because of her leaving, she may have built up and raised an army of those monsters and settled somewhere isolated. I wouldn't be surprised if she has changed her name to something more demonic."

"And besides, the Vajra were dealt with a few years ago when the _Nirvana_ 's fleet disappeared," Ruby added in. "I mean, sure my mom left Yang and I about ten years ago, and while we thought she died back then, she went to help aid in the Vajra war. She made new bonds with people and experienced something we never had: A time without worrying about the Grimm."

"That's true," the blonde muttered, turning around before walking backwards, keeping the pace with the others. "What are we going to do now, knowing the truth about our home? Do we go back to hunting the Grimm and possibly be labelled N.U.N.S. traitors when they find out about their origins?"

"They won't call us that, Yang. Central Spacy would consider them something they can't control, given enough time. And besides, what if that song she heard was the Song of the Wind from Windermere's previous Wind Singer?"

"She had aura, didn't she?" They all nodded, making Yang think. "Perhaps she lashed out at the _Nirvana_ because she's the only human that had an aura at the time."

"We'll never know now, considering that crew passed away long afterwards."

"Yang, you asked us what we're going to do after the war with Windermere is over, right," Weiss asked her, getting a nod before continuing. "Well, I know what I'm going to do after this. I'll present the information we have on the Schnee Dust Company's CEO… my bastard father, about what he did with the Destroid blueprints as well as his crimes against the Faunas."

"And the company?"

"It will cripple with him gone. And I doubt Whitley will take that lying down, so he may try the same things." She then thought about it before speaking again. "Once the company's gone, I'll do what Blake asked me and make relations between humans and faunas better and meet with her father once our war's over."

"Sounds good," Yang commented before thinking. "I believe I may work at Ragnyannyan for a few more years before going off to some more adventures. Maybe drag my mom with me to catch up on the years she missed."

"Then what should I do," Ruby muttered out, frowning. "All I ever wanted was to be a Huntress and be like the heroes in the stories… Now that I know that the Grimm were meant to be a weapon against the Vajra, what would happen if they don't reappear after the Var outbreak in Mistral?"

"How about staying as a pilot," Weiss answered her. "Your skills are still growing over our time in Chaos. Why not stay as one and, once the war's over, become a trainer? After all, we won't know how many lives will be lost to Windermere until the war's over, so it might be good to train new pilots once it's over."

"Ruby, being a trainer?" Yang then pictured her sister in the scenario, shivering as she might turn out like Messer. "It's a thought, but I wouldn't want my sister to become the Grim Reaper."

"She won't be like Messer, Yang. Each person is different, and the way they'll train may differ." The ex-heiress then scratched her cheek. "Besides, I can see her as a strict, but calm instructor."

"Let's just focus on our current situation before thinking about the future," Ruby interrupted, sighing heavily. "It's a thought that came up, but I don't want to think about it now."

"So how about it," Yang took over, stopping before moving her prosthetic hand out palm down. "We're sticking with Chaos to the end, and we'll stay a team till the day we die."

"Considering how far I've come," Weiss brought up before smirking, joining her hand with the blonde's. "How can I say no to that? We're Team RWBY."

Both girls then looked at their young leader and 2nd Lieutenant, smiling and forcing her to smile and join them as she spoke. "What the hell. Team RWBY always and forever." The silver eyed girl then smirked as she continued. "Let's show Windermere that they're messing with the wrong girls."

Far from them in the adjacent hallway, Summer, Raven and Tai had their arms crossed as they felt proud for their children for their choice. Both mothers felt proud for their daughters as they knew they're in good hands with Chaos, with the father picturing their futures paved by their actions. While they are worried over what might happen to them over the course of the war, they couldn't help but accept that they're no longer children, and that their time on Ragna made them into grown women.

* * *

 **A/N: Overdue, but I figured a short chapter like this should do for now.**

 **Again, I would like to apologize for being AWOL for the past couple of months, and whatever I may say might come out as excuses. I will say that I have written down my plans for this and my other projects on my phone so that, if I feel lost, I can look at them and build up on it. Not to mention, games such as Yakuza 6: The Song of Life and Blazblue: Cross Tag Battle came out while I was away from Fanfiction, so my focus was away. Regardless, I'm back for how long until new games come out, and I started it off with releasing an idea: a Saints Row fic labelled 'The Saint's Dragon of Judgment.**

 **Now, my thoughts on this chapter: I wanted it to be focused on the past of Remnant after Summer's discovery of the Battle Macross** _ **Nirvana**_ **, as well as a Macross AU version of how Humanity came across Remnant as** _ **Cimeria.**_ **I'll admit, I'm not that creative when it comes to thinking of naming a species, so I just came up with something random and went from there. I also had to put in how the Grimm came to be in this AU. If it feels rushed, I apologize, but I was also watching Crossfaith live shows uploaded on YouTube.**

 **Review Replies:**

 **Alexwu704:** _ **I feel bad for Velvet, being hugged by Makina who loves Rabbits**_

 _ **Still I feel a little bit bad for Jaune because he has the worst luck or was it fate that causes his luck to go bad**_

 _ **Team STRQ is back and taken most of the White Fang guards including the leader.**_

 _ **But what is the secret of the Nirvana?**_

 _ **Lastly, I hope that Neo is alive somewhere despite being bad and just that Team CRDL might be alive as well**_

 _ **P.S. Sorry for the Long comment review in Chapter 21**_

 **Considering that Makina's symbol whenever she uses her glasses was a bunny rabbit. How would she react if she saw Jaune's hoodie.**

 **Come on, I gotta throw in a nude Mikumo moment in this, otherwise, it wouldn't feel right.**

 **Well, Most of STRQ did. Qrow did nothing but watch as Raven and Tai assisted Summer and Yang against them.**

 **This chapter's your answer, buddy.**

 **I honestly don't have any plans for Neo for this fic as I can't think of anywhere to put her. And CRDL… let's just say I'm saving them for the end.**

 **Shidou Haruka:** _ **Makimaki found something kyawawa! And we got more of team STRQ! Everone loves drunkle Qrow. Anyway, good one with Sienna in Lucifer and now we get Galaxy making some problem again. Maybe we can get a Macross vs Macross with Elysion and Nirvana in the future.  
Ohh and dammit Jaune, you lucky bastard! I hope this means a start for Jauney x Mikumo. It is promising, especially since he did not find himself on gunpoint or found her in a tube.  
Thank you for reading my Song of the Stars. That is my pride and joy.**_

 **If anything, MakiMaki considers anything to be cute (except for Atlas tech), so for her to tackle Velvet and cuddle her was something I had to put in. Just picturing the moment at work made me want to put it in.**

 **And yeah, STRQ's back to full strength. I'll be honest, Qrow's a pretty cool character, but I tend to like Raven out of the Branwen siblings more and him. Something about her makes me like her, and the last episode of V5 made me like her more.**

 **It was honestly the spur of the moment for me, trying to figure out which Valkyrie I can picture Sienna flying for her debut in this. I didn't like how she died in RWBY, so I've changed it up to Adam (never liked him) being Var infected. Then again, this fic is set right after V3 and goes into Macross Delta.**

 **You're going to have to wait and see what I have planned for the** _ **Nirvana.**_ **Nothing on the scale you mentioned.**

 **And Jaune x Mikumo. While I have plans for our blonde knight, it won't occur till further in, plus I'm going to be busy with my other projects. If you have scenarios of them being shipped together, then whenever you're not busy with Song of the Stars, maybe a one shot collection of the Jaune x Mikumo ship and the many shenanigans?**

 **And thanks for reminding me to catch up on your fic. I need to step up my game.**

 **Edrap:** _ **This Jaune x Mikumo plus the new Pyrrha equals Krakatoa**_

 _ **Also, had you thought on using the Megaroad-01 instead of the**_ **Nirvana** _ **?... Well, now I think about it, it doesn't look like a good idea, right?**_

 **I wouldn't know. Like I said before, Macross is region locked to Japan only, so I have to find means to watch the series. I haven't thought about the Megaroad-01 beforehand as well.**

 **Duelgundam:** _ **Woah, another chapter? ALREADY?! I haven't even got around to writing up one for the last chapter!(something something Saber Wars Re-run, blah blah blah.)**_

 _ **Oh well, best now then never. Here we go.**_

 _ **Well, having to tell your subordinate's family about their death is always hard, especially when said family is someone REALLY important. RIP Sun's heart(when he finds out), and I'm sure Neptune is NOT going to make it any better.**_

 _ **Hahahaha, they actually thought Chuck was a Faunus?!(cue Joker-level hysterical laughing) OW! MY RIBS!**_  
 _ **Guess Chuck's not earning any cookie points for his outburst about the White Fang.**_

 _ **As Mikhail once said: "So it's raining Reaction bombs instead of spears, huh?" I was kinda hoping for a personnel from earth to take that smug ass down a peg. Guess the Remnant crew will have to do.**_

 _ **Now, for the current chapter:**_

 _ **Mistakes first. You missed a couple of errors in the story, and Ruby's initial rank is "Warrant Officer"(like Alto-hime...*thwack* ow! What the hell, Alto?!), there's no "3rd Lieutenant" rank. You're either a 1st Lieutenant(juu-ii) or 2nd Lieutenant(shou-ii)(I'd type out the kanji, but you know how fanfiction is with foreign languages outside of stories)**_

 _ **Ah, Jaune and his E-rank luck. To be fair(to Xaos), don't they label the doors to the washrooms?**_

 _ **So...Yang's idea of reconciliation is Rag-NyanNyan's fried Ragnan spider? Well, not that I'm complaining, since she got a reaction out of her moms.**_

 _ **Now, see, this is why we need giant mechs: the intimidation factor. Also: actually learning how to fly your new fighter jet mech you got you hands on from months before. And maybe not challenge the guy who says that they KNOW how to beat your shiny new jet.**_

 _ **I thought that that fleet you were talking about was maybe like a couple of Uraga-Class and Northampton-class ships, and NOT a friggin' BATTLE CLASS FLAGSHIP!(Curse you, Grace O'Connor!)**_

 _ **That's as much as I can say for now. Looking forward to the next chapter!**_

 **Honestly, when it comes to Neptune, I think he's going to flip out over the concept of a water world like Ragna existing, freaking out and claiming that he won't go to a planet like that. And it's true: It's never easy telling a family that they lost someone important to their lives, whether it be a parent, grandparent and a son/daughter. Grief can affect anyone and make them react in different ways.**

 **Considering what he heard about the White Fang, the organization won't be getting any cookie points from the Ragnan.**

 **I remember seeing that saying in Frontier. 3 times in fact.**

 **Thanks for pointing them out. The thing is, I wasn't a part of the army, so many things can be lost on me, and my imagination doesn't make things any better. I could go back and edit Ruby's rank in my previous chapters, but Summer means busy hours at work, less time to work on my fics (I'm trying to stay up till 2AM to work on them) and more video games coming out in the future (SPYRO REMASTER WHOOOOO!).**

 **I don't know. I just want to write him having bad luck. He had bad luck in V1, right? Vomiting on Yang's shoe, getting pinned on the tree. Maybe his actual semblance is bad luck instead of that healing?**

 **Sienna don't know that. Not until now, since she was more focused on using the machine to intimidate Adam's faction as he's Var infected.**

 **Like I said, I had this in planning when it first came to me years ago.**

 **Can't wait to see your next review and picking up on my mistakes.**

 **Xzorshio:** _ **Great Scott! It's another good chapter I've read here! Yup. I was fortunate enough to meet him and had the chance to see his seminar on how he got his unique ideas for Macross and to his other series he made. As for the Macross merch I've got, so far I already assembled VF-31J and VF-31C Siegfrieds 1/72 plamo and also got a MechaColle VF-31F Siegfried, not to mention also a chibi Mylene Flare Jenius from Goodsmile Company. Other merchandises I have include Banpresto A4-sized folders of Macross Frontier (one of these folders is already signed by Shoji Kawamori). I still have an unassembled VF-31F similar to my previous VFs that i received last December coincidentally on Messer's birthday (December 14 is his official birthday mentioned in official Uta Macross Smartphone DeCulture game). I am planning to complete the Delta Flight soon because I lack Arad's VF-31S and if it is available, Chuck's VF-31E. As for my reviews for this chapter, STRQ is baaaaaaack! Good to know they're back together! I gotta hand it to you that some moments are quite adorable and funny especially when MakiMaki meets Velvet and also Jaune's moments with the iconic Towel Mikumo ( I still have a screenshot of that and golly, she's so sexy!)! On serious part though, I wonder if there are more intertwining twists from Frontier series has to be yet seen on this crossover though. That's all I can say. You better finish your Draken III because it's one of the sweet VFs I've seen and I think it's much more superior in firepower compared to the Siegfried, being a support variant rather than an assault/multi-role variant like that of Kairos. Another sidenote as a comment on the previous chapters: as you described Gale's Draken III, it's gold and red, right? That means Pyrrha Gale Windermere is Char Aznable!**_

 **Lucky you, getting to meet Kawamori-san.**

 **I think I've already said my thoughts through Alex's review, but yeah, STRQ's back together, even though Qrow believes that Summer's a ghost, and his relationship with Raven isn't any better (At least he cares about her in my God Eater crossover, though he has his moments).**

 **You have a screenshot of 'that?' Either it's just me, or perhaps you have an anime crush on the Mysterious Venus, don't you? I don't blame you, as I have one on Kaname.**

 **CRAP, I HAVE TO GET AROUND TO ASSEMBLING IT! Luckily, tomorrow is a Sunday, meaning my day off work. Come on, Drago, get your ass around to assembling the Draken.**

 **I'll be fair, I haven't seen the original Gundam series as SEED and SEED DESTINY was my first exposure to Gundam. I do know who the character, and realizing the colors on her fighter… I did make her a Char Aznable.**

 **New Universe Returns:** _ **Well, I manage to read it to the latest chapter. Now I'm hoping that Oscar, along with other V4 and V5 characters will show up in the future.**_

 _ **Have JNR to pilot the Macross soon, along with Oscar. At first, they'll be terrible at it.**_

 **Where have you been, man? I missed you.**

 **I don't have any plans for Oscar at the moment. And have you forgotten about Jaune's motion sickness? It would be bad for him to fly a Valkyrie, and you've seen what Nora did to that Bullhead. Ren though… I think he might be able to, but won't as Nora wouldn't let him go alone.**

 **XP4Universe (Wait a minute, You're Marcus the Kane):** _ **bzzzttt...**_

 _ **Jaune: Why do I had the worst luck?**_

 _ **Eddy: Don't worry at least you're not a butt-monkey in our stories.**_

 _ **Marcus: I think we just gave you a clue why we had these many people in the comments section. Great chapter, by the way.**_

 _ **bzzzttt...**_

 **EVEN JAUNE? I give up. That 4** **th** **wall's basically nonexistent at this point.**

 **I would also like to give a shoutout to the reviewer Edrap, as he (or she, I don't know) is also working on a RWBY and Macross crossover. Well I'm not entirely sure if it is connected to Macross or Robotech, it's good to know to see that he's working on one as well. I would read it, but I don't know any Spanish. Still, he's got one in the works.**

 **Anyone interested in doing a react fic to this or A Branwen's Past? Green light's still on for that.**

 **I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. What do you think? Leave a Favorite, Follow and Review.**

 **With that out of the way, I'm BlazefireDrago, signing out**


	24. Pyrrha

**Disclaimer: RWBY is owned by Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth Productions, while Macross is owned by Shoji Kawamori and Studio Satelight.**

* * *

The forests of the Anima continent was brimming with wildlife, from the strolling rabbit to the eagles that take up the air. The nature spreads all throughout the continent, with only the settlements, villages and the Kingdom of Mistral being in control of either humans and/or faunas. It was also the perfect place for bandits to gather around and plan ambushes and raids on the innocent, taking whatever they want and leaving the towns to the Grimm.

However, the forest is now home to a crimson and gold SV-262Hs Draken, which had a rough landing after the Aerial Knights' attack on Atlas. It no longer sported any damage sustained on the machine, meaning the pilot of the Windermerean fighter had been using her time to repair it back to peak condition. While the pilot wasn't visible, the Valkyrie was out in the open as a group of bandits lead by an arrogant blonde human spotted the machine, whistling in awe over the sight.

"Well look what we have here, guys," he commented as the group closed in on the fighter. "This is a fine piece of work in front of us."

"Whoever left it here must have been a dumbass," one of his partners pointed out with a smirk. "I mean, a fighter as neat as this out in the open? They're just begging us to steal it off their hands."

"Well, they didn't have a smooth landing," another bandit called out as she observed the ground. "I'm guessing that it got out of a rough fight and was abandoned afterwards."

"Doesn't explain how it looks pretty now," the blonde spoke up, placing his hand on the Draken's surface. "I'm not a fan of the gold, but the crimson's a nice touch on the machine. We haul it back to camp, give it a new paint job, and some spikes on the wings, and it should fit in well with the Branwen tribe."

"Boss, I'm seeing footprints," he heard his comrade call out, looking down to where he was pointing. "The path looks fresh too, and leads straight to a nearby river. Whoever owns this thing must be nearby."

"Then why don't we greet them our way? Tie them up, announce that we're taking their belongings and leave them to the Grimm." He then had a mischievous thought. "And if this owner turns out to be a woman… we can have our fun alongside the theft."

"Just because the leader isn't here, doesn't mean you can do whatever you want, Shady," he turned to face the Tribe's second in command as she made her appearance. "Raven specifically placed me in charge of all our operations while she's away. So consider my orders the same as hers."

"Damn it, Vernal," the newly identified Shady groaned out before gazing at the fighter lying in front of them. "We're still taking the machine, right."

"That's the plan." Vernal then gazed towards the others before calling out. "Find the owner, tie him or her up and grab the fighter. I'll message Raven and inform her of our—"

Before she could finish her sentence, two of the bandits were suddenly knocked down to the ground, taking out their aura and shocking Vernal, Shady and the others near them. Before she could even question what happened, a blur appeared in front of them before speeding towards the others, striking them down with a sabre before disappearing in sight once more. Realizing that they were in danger, they grouped together by back to back, keeping their eyes on the surroundings to spot the attacker.

Keeping her eyes on the nature, she looked around to see where the attacker would strike next, only to hear a shout as another bandit was taken out by the blur by a few strikes by its sabre and finished by a kick in the jaw, taking him out of the group. Quickly turning, she lashed her own weapon at the blur, only to be surprised as it parried the blade away before kicking another bandit away from her and Shady. Just as he lashed out to it, it dodged the attack before jumping on top of the SV-262Hs, revealing the pilot to them and shocking them with its appearance.

"No way," Shady commented on the pilot, stumbling forward with a smirk. "Isn't that…?

"It can't be," she answered him, frowning as she took in her appearance. "She looks like her, but something tells me she's not."

"What makes you say that?"

"The way she moved, for one. She's also preventing us from leaving with our prize."

"Then we just need to take her out and leave with the fighter then." His smirk then grew as he drew his gun towards the pilot. "Ain't that right, Vernal?"

She only smirked as she raised her weapons at her opponent while replying back. "Right. We'll finish this quick, and then ditch her and leave with the machine."

"Both of you," they turned to face their enemy as the pilot spoke, her emerald eyes narrowing as her rune glowed. "Both of you aren't worthy of the wind. You Earthlings were never worthy."

"Earthlings," Shady commented with his smirk. "That's just cruel there, missy. Now why don't you just stand aside and let us take that fighter off your hands?"

Before Vernal could get a word in, the pilot clicked her tongue before quickly throwing her sabre at Shady, hitting him in the stomach with the hilt before becoming a blur and dashing towards him. Reacting quickly, she moved her weapon in the blur's way, only to be shocked as it moved out of the way as the pilot maneuvered over her blade before bashing Shady's head with her heel, sending him to the ground. Growling, the remaining Bandit engaged her as the Windermerean picked up her sabre before colliding blades, keeping the weapon locked in place before kicking Vernal back.

Narrowing her eyes, the bandit smirked as she aimed her weapons before opening fire with its gun function, hoping that the bullets would impact and knock her out. To her surprise, the Windermerean jumped out of the projectiles' way before sprinting forward, priming the sabre to strike the woman down before swinging the blade in a diagonal slash. The leading bandit quickly responded by clashing her weapon with the Windermerean's, groaning as she can feel the pressure the redhead is putting in her attack.

Just as she was about to make a recovery in their standoff, the Windermerean's rune glowed rapidly before jumping out of the way from nearby gunfire, seeing Shady wincing on the ground as he fired on her back. While she was grateful for the assistance, Vernal's focus was on the redhead who dodged his rounds, smirking as a graze was on her arm as blood lightly trailed down the surface. Smirking, she aimed her weapon before opening fire at her opponent's direction, growling as Windermerean moved out of the way of her shots.

Just as the blonde man got back up, the Windermerean scoffed before dashing towards him, avoiding the swing of his gun's bayonet before striking his stomach, unfazed that his aura absorbed the hit. The man groaned from the pain however, and before he could process what she did, the pilot quickly got behind him before bashing the hilt on his neck, knocking him unconscious. Turning her head, the pilot narrowed her emerald eyes to challenge Vernal to strike back, forcing the bandit to growl and charge at her.

Mentally scoffing, she used her sabre to parry Vernal's strikes while avoiding the gun shots fired at her, moving from side to side to taunt the current high ranking bandit. Her growling intensified, the human moved in a similar speed as she moved her blades for a killing blow, her eyes clouded with anger as the Windermerean effortlessly dodged her strikes. Swiping her weapons in a cross horizontal move, she thought for sure that she had her, only for the pilot to jump out of the way before striking her pressure point in the neck, knocking her down to the ground.

Seeing them on the ground, the redhead admired her handiwork before moving towards her SV-262Hs Draken III, jumping onto its back before going towards the cockpit. However, she stopped as Vernal groaned while struggling to get up, her eyes lying onto the Windermerean as her body felt weak from the strike. Growling, she managed to get her foot on the ground before breathing heavily, her gaze never leaving the pilot.

"Who…" she started before coughing out, regaining some of her posture as she continued. "Who the hell are you?"

The Windermerean scoffed as she got into the cockpit, only to turn her head to answer her. "The White Knight… Pyrrha Gale Windermere."

With that being said, the cockpit closed on her as the fighter began to come to life, the thrusters activating as the fighter slowly lifted off from the sky. Vernal stood in shock as she heard the first name of the White Knight and, picturing the deceased Pyrrha Nikos and comparing her actions in the Vytal Festival's finals to the White Knight's skills against the Bandits, coming into random conclusions. As the Draken sped off to the distance, she deduced that it was heading towards Vale, making her fear for Raven's life.

* * *

Seeing the _Kairos_ models fly off to perform drills in the skies, Ruby was working on her new flight patterns for whenever she'll go up against the Aerial Knights once more, sitting on top of the _Aether_ while she reviewed her combat footage. She knew that the Aerial Knight _Crimson_ , whose identity to her is now known, will return to the fight and, figuring she'll come to her, have been thinking of ways to counter the crimson and gold Windermerean fighter. Only the sound of Walkure's songs in her left earbud and the echoes of the Chaos fighters kept her company as she thought out her new plans of attack.

Gazing over to the Valean horizon, she remained at awe as the Workroids continued their repairs on the Academy, with some assistance from Glynda's semblance. From Ernest's orders, all those that have been in the meeting that lived on Remnant were to shut off their auras to prevent a possible Var outbreak once the academy is back up and running. She heard no argument from her friends and, reluctantly her teachers, while Qrow mouthed them off before leaving for the bar. She was surprised that Oobleck would work to comprise the information learned from the _Nirvana_ 's own network, planning on sharing that history once the war against Windermere was over.

"You know, thinking will hurt your head if you keep it up," she heard a playful voice, making her turn around to see Nora, Jaune and Ren walk over to her with their smiles, giggling as the bubbly girl continued. "Have you ever thought about taking a break? You know, having something to eat, do some singing or even maintaining Crescent Rose like you did in the past?"

"Sorry, Nora," the young girl apologized as she placed her tablet beside her. "But with how things are, I'm going to have to keep focused."

"Come on, Ruby, don't be like that." Walking awfully cheerful, she planted herself beside her friend as she gazed at the horizon. "We have some time to hang out, and you know we've missed you over the months you've been gone. I mean, the guys are great and all, but a girl needs her girl time, you know?"

"Thanks for pushing us to the side there, Nora," Jaune muttered as the men followed her example, gazing out to the scene in front of them. "I'll never get used to this, you know. Seeing Vale from this sort of height… how do you do it, Ruby?"

"I got used to it," she answered him, leaning back slightly. "Plus, I've spent a lot of months flying a Valkyrie that it's become second nature to me."

"Whatever happened to your plane, anyways," Ren asked out in thought. "We've seen Yang's, Weiss' and Blake's, but yours isn't around."

"That's cause it was destroyed in the battle for Ragna." She heavily sighed as the memory flashed in her mind. "I thought for sure that I would be next after Blake, but mom came in the nick of time to save me." She then looked over to look at the members of JN(P)R with a smile. "Besides, I promised to give it my all out there… for us, for Remnant… and for Pyrrha."

"I bet Pyrrha is watching over us, even now." Looking up, the magenta eyed teen closed his eyes to say a prayer for their fallen friend. "She would be proud of how far we've come."

"Pyrrha," she muttered out, the thought of the Windermerean fighter fresh in her head. "Maybe."

"Ruby, is something wrong," she heard the blonde knight call out to her, making her shake her head.

"It's nothing." She then spotted the _Kairos_ Valkyries flying towards the Macross before switching over to Gerwalk Mode, landing on top of the _Hemera_ as the pilots exited their fighters, making her comment on them. "Seems the Alpha Platoon finished their drills."

"I never understood the design of the fighters," Nora called up, thinking heavily on the subject. "I mean, can't they just go with one design and stick with that?"

"As the years passed by, so will the hardware." Yawning, Ruby grabbed her tablet before bringing up footage of her training under Messer. "The Valkyries are upgraded over time, and now, while the N.U.N.S. has preferred the VF-171 _Nightmare_ s, most contractors like Chaos will test pilot newer variants for use in the army. The _Kairos_ and the _Siegfrieds_ are some of those fighters. But they all carry on the basic parameters of the VF-1 Variable fighters."

"I wish we could see one for ourselves."

The young reaper only smirked as she slowly got up onto her feet, keeping her tablet in her arm as she gazed at the others while calling out. "Well, do you want to see one?"

Without any warning, the bubbly bomber quickly got on her feet, surprising the young girl and the two guys as they slowly got up to follow her lead. Chuckling, Ruby lead the group back inside the Macross, passing by the other Chaos personnel as she directed them towards the armory. Once she got to her destination, she lead them over to the Valkyrie storage, passing by a VF-31 _Siegfried_ in the works until arriving in front of the VF-1EX.

"And here she is, guys," she announced to them, placing her hand on the cockpit. "The grandfather of all Valkyries we see today. Well, as of now, this machine is used for more on the lines of training new pilots. Heck, I had to fly one of these to learn how to fly properly."

"Ooh, classy," Nora commented on it, looking at the detail of the fighter. "And this is the Grandfather? Then what's the Grandmother?"

"NORA," Ren scolded her, getting a giggle in response as he observed it. "And it appears to be in peak condition. I'm certain that this machine will still be of great use."

"Right?" The peach haired girl then hummed as she took sight of the gun pod attached. "What, no transforming weapons?"

"Do you know how hard it is to make something of that scale and implement them to the Valkyries," Ruby questioned her, placing her hands on her hips. "It was difficult for my team's weapons to be implemented, now imagine how difficult it would be for All Valkyries."

"Oh."

"Besides, my team adapted to it." Crossing her arms, the young girl leaned on the fighter as she continued. "It took some getting used to, but I can say that the Valkyrie fighters are a marvel to look at."

"Ooh, speaking of, can you give us a sight of you flying this bad boy?"

"Nora, I don't think its wise for Ruby to use the fighter for your leisure pleasure," Jaune scolded, glaring at her. "I don't want any ideas of you planning the same thing on another Bullhead." He then turned to face Ruby as the bomber deflated. "And isn't it dangerous to be flying them anyways?"

"You worry too much," she assured him before thinking. "Right now, the fighter I'm using is under maintenance, but I can use the VF-1EX to run my own flight plans. That way, my mind still has what I have in store for later skirmishes."

"Cool, so can we—" Alarms blared to life as it interrupted Nora's speech as Ruby looked up to the intercom. "What's that?"

" _Attention, A Windermerean fighter is on approach to the_ Elysion _,_ " they heard Nina announce, making the red head frown. " _Alpha and Beta Platoons, prepare to sortie out and engage._ "

"Crimson," Ruby muttered out before gazing at the engineers. "Get this fighter primed and ready. I'm going to greet our Windermerean."

"Roger."

While the team began to work on priming the VF-1EX for combat, Ruby left her friends in the hanger as she rushed to change into her flight suit, knowing that the Windermerean she shot down back at Atlas wants payback. As she did, the Macross' bridge was on standby as the operators issued their orders from the consoles alongside evacuation efforts from the Beacon teachers on the ground. Ernest eventually entered the bridge as he marched towards his seat, sitting down and crossing his arms as his eyes laid on the horizon.

"Where is the Delta Platoon," He called out as he remained in his spot.

"Arad left with Yang to escort the Menagerie chieftain towards us, sir," Beth answered him. "Hayate, Mirage and Weiss are in Atlas to aid in relief efforts."

"And that leaves us with Chuck and Ruby," he muttered to himself. "Damn, Windermere caught us at a bad time."

"Is any time a good time," he heard Winter as the Schnee entered afterwards, taking her side by the Captain. "Considering this is your enemy, you have a plan of some sort?"

"We'll have Alpha and Beta Platoons lure the Draken away to avoid collateral on the school," he answered her. "Once Chuck and Ruby are in the air, we'll have them deal with our Windermerean."

"Why's that?"

"Because the Delta Platoon has more experience against the Aerial Knights than the Alpha and Beta Platoons." Turning his head, the Zentradi's eyes met with the Atlesian representative as he continued. "The two platoons are more on the lines of defence. They'll get the job done and drag our Draken away from Beacon."

"Captain, 2nd Lt. Rose is deploying in a VF-1EX," Mizuki announced to him, surprising the man as he let out a smirk.

"I see… Let's see how the New handles the Old."

Winter was unsure of what he meant as she gazed towards the outside as the _Kairos_ models flew off towards the horizon, waiting to witness another skirmish against the Aerial Knights. While she can't deny the level of experience Chaos had against them, even seeing it firsthand back at Atlas, she felt unsure on whether the two platoons would survive against one Windermerean fighter. Regardless, she steeled herself as she took the sight of their next battle as it began to unfold.

True to the Operator's word, the SV-262 Draken III piloted by the replacement White Knight flew towards the sight of Beacon Academy, where the Macross _Elysion_ stood behind in wait. The Windermerean narrowed her eyes as her one opponent, Ruby, would lie in wait for her with the VF-31 _Siegfried_. Clutching her controls, her emerald eyes scanned her surroundings before spotting the Alpha and Beta Platoons, scoffing at the numbers as they approached.

"They believe they can quell my wind," she muttered to herself before scoffing. "They can try, but they won't succeed."

With her rune glowing for a brief moment, she maneuvered her Draken off to the side as the _Kairos_ fighters began to open fire on her, avoiding the bullet fire while keeping an eye out for Ruby's Valkyrie. As she did, the fighters of Chaos pursued and broke off in the air, flying to direct the SV-262 away from the combat school while maintaining fire on her. Scoffing, she stalled her own fighter as it backpedalled behind them, using her cannon to shoot the fighters down.

Her rune then shined briefly as more Valkyries came up to her from behind before opening fire, making her groan out as she switched into Gerwalk Mode before strafing to the left, keeping her pace towards the school. Bringing out the weapon systems out of the Draken's arms, she returned fire on the approaching _Kairos_ Valkyries as their bullets flew passed her machine, destroying another set as a few stragglers broke off from the engagement. They never got far enough from her as her cannon shot down their thrusters, making the fighters spiral down to the ground before suffering additional damage from her bullets.

Feeling indifferent, she switched her SV-262 back into Fighter Mode before speeding towards the skies as the remaining _Kairos_ models followed after her, launching volleys of missiles after her machine. Impassively, she deployed her own salvo of explosives to collide with their rockets, causing them to detonate in a safe distance from her Draken before using the opportunity to fire through the smoke, surprising what's left of the Alpha and Beta Platoons as more fighters were destroyed.

"How pathetic," she commented as the smoke cleared as the other _Kairos_ models broke off from the engagement. "I thought for sure she would appear alongside them. It seems I was wrong—"

Before she could finish her sentence, her rune suddenly brightened as bullet fire flew passed her machine, making her gaze over to see Ruby flying towards her in a different fighter. As the fighter flew passed the SV-262, her rune glowed in anticipation as she began her pursuit towards the VF-1EX, setting her targeting systems onto the fighter in front of her. Despite her opponent in a different machine, the way it was being flown tells her that it is the same pilot that shot her down back in Atlesian skies.

Clutching her controls, the Windermerean opened fire on the VF-1EX as the Draken got closer, only for the training fighter to maneuver away from the reactive rounds as it switched over to Gerwalk Mode and launching its own volley of missiles. Reacting quickly, she performed a barrel roll with the SV-262 as it shot down most of the explosives, though what was left detonated near her machine, causing it to shake and intriguing the redhead. Just as she was about to return the gesture, her rune lit up as more bullet fire erupted from below her, making her fly out of the way as Chuck's VF-31 _Siegfried_ came into view.

Thankful for his help, the young Reaper strafed her temporary machine as it unleashed a stream of bullets towards the Windermerean plane, keeping the stream going as it moved over towards the right. Realizing that the machine was keeping her from reaching Beacon, Gale decided to play along with their ploys by flying away from the bullet fire, using her cannon to stun the pilot's direction. As she did, she eventually redirected her SV-262 towards the VF-1EX before switching into Battroid Mode, drawing out the blade before swiping at it. The young reaper however, switched back into Fighter Mode before flying away as the PPB weapon struck the air, surprising the Windermerean before switching back to Gerwalk Mode.

"Rubes, are you alright," the young girl heard her fellow pilot call out as the VF-31 got closer to her. "You almost got hit by that sword."

"I'll be fine, Chuck," she assured him before frowning. "Crimson's flying is different, unlike anything from our previous engagements. Something's off with her."

"How so? She's flying the same way to me."

"Perhaps to you, but she's particularly drawn to me." Reacting quickly, she avoided another salvo of reactive rounds as her gaze was on the crimson and golden Draken. "I just can't put my finger on it. Chuck, can you look into it while I keep her busy?"

"You can count on me."

Nodding to the Ragnan's machine, the two Valkyries broke off as the VF-1EX re-engaged the SV-262, leaving the _Siegfried_ to bring out the radar dish before scanning the Windermerean plane. As he did, he couldn't help but watch in awe as Ruby kept up with the pressure placed on her by the enemy plane, exchanging bullet fire between changing modes in the Valkyries. As they flew off into the skies, his eyes went wide as his machine looked into the cause Ruby thought about.

"Holy… Could Ruby be the next Messer," he muttered out until his system came up on the screen, making him gaze over it before going wide eyed. "No way… a reading of 26.9%..." He then patched into the comm before contacting the _Elysion_ , reaching to the captain. "Sir, that Windermerean fighter Ruby's engaging… its pilot is Var Infected."

"What," Ernest questioned before frowning. "Is Windermere willing to infect their own pilots for increased efficiency?" Clenching his fist, he gazed over towards the operators before shouting out. "Deploy Walkure immediately. If Windermere moved on to infecting their own Aerial Knights, then it's up to us to assist in clearing them."

Back to the dogfight, the young girl looked back over as the VF-1EX guided the Draken further up to the skies, hoping the Chuck had the answers about Gale's movements. Moving and maneuvering her controls, she flew the fighter as it avoided the bullet fire before switching into Gerwalk mode, using the gun pod to shoot down the missiles launched towards her. As she did, she launched her own volley of rockets towards her opponent while strafing to the left, seeing the fighter shoot them down while a few stray explosives detonated near the Draken, shaking the plane in the air.

It was then that the two heard the distinctive sound of the tactical sound unit as Walkure sang out **僕らの戦場** **,** the song reaching out to their ears. While the reaper was glad to hear the unit during the dogfight, the Windermerean narrowed her eyes in disgust as she felt the sound was tainting the wind. She pushed the thoughts out regardless as she continued to pursue Ruby's plane, maintaining fire on the VF-1EX Valkyrie and watching her dodge her fire with ease. Regardless of the change of fighters, the young Rose's skill was nothing to laugh at to her.

Her rune then lit in accordance as she skewed the SV-262 over to the right as Summer's VF-25 _Messiah_ came to the scene, opening fire on the Draken and providing cover for the young Ruby. The experienced pilot still remembered what Gale did to her machine back at Ionedeth's orbit, unleashing controlled bursts of reactive rounds towards the opposing fighter. While the Windermerean avoided the fire, she launched out another volley of missiles after Summer's Valkyrie, prompting the older Rose to dodge and shift her focus on the homing explosives.

While she dealt with the missiles, Ruby took the opportunity to switch into Battroid Mode before using the machine's arms to bash the Draken down to the ground, hoping that they were far from Beacon Academy to make any damage. However, as the SV-262 descended harshly, Gale switched into Gerwalk Mode before firing upon the VF-1EX, destroying the gun pod and grazing the frame on the transformed fighter. Seeing her in danger, the mother quickly fired upon the explosives, detonating them on mid pursuit before chucking her gun pod towards her daughter. Seeing it, Ruby caught it as it reached her before adjusting her sights on the Draken.

Licking her lips, she opened fire on the enemy plane as it readjusted itself in the air before switching into Fighter Mode, barely avoiding the rounds as it approached her. Switching over to Fighter Mode, she flew the VF-1EX down as it neared the Draken, intent on shooting it down while it came closer. However, just as the song finished the first chorus, the SV-262 neared the Valkyrie before switching into Battroid Mode and opened fire on the thrusters, shocking everyone as Ruby descended in a downward spiral.

"RUBY," Both Summer and Chuck shouted out from their fighters as the Draken closed in on her, forcing the girl to switch her own fighter into Battroid Mode before facing the machine. Looking down, the young reaper was shocked as she was about to crash on the courtyard near the nearly rebuilt combat school. Closing her eyes, she waited before a pained gasp escaped her mouth was the Battroid's back collided with the ground, followed by the Draken switching into Battroid Mode and pinning the machine in the process.

"Dammit," the Ragnan cursed out. "Is there anything we could do?"

"Chuck, any changes on the reading," he heard the captain ask out urgently, making him shake his head before answering.

"Negative, sir. The Var readings are still there." He then thought further into it. "Perhaps only gave her a small percentage to ensure she follows their orders."

While they pondered on the cause of the Var readings in Gale, Summer already had a hunch on how to get rid of it as the Draken primed its gun in its arm before aiming it at the downed VF-1EX. Groaning from the impact, Ruby opened her eyes to witness the Draken standing tall over her with the Battroid's foot planted on her machine. The Windermerean fighter then leaned forward before the guns neared where the cockpit was, followed by the SV-262 connecting itself to the comm system.

"You've been a thorn on my side for far too long, Rose," she heard the Windermerean's voice echo in her fighter, wincing as it sounded like that of her fallen friend as the pilot continued. "It's time for you to be plucked and scatter in the wind."

"Come on, Ruby," Summer muttered to herself, clenching her controls. "Do something."

As if she read her mind, the young Ruby only chuckled before coughing out, smirking as her silver eyes laid on the Draken before answering back. "Hey… Crimson… do you believe in Destiny?"

"Destiny," the Windermerean muttered out before suffering from a spike of pain in her head, making her clutch it as flashes appeared in her mind. "Why… why is that familiar?"

Getting a reaction, the young Rose breathed in before quietly singing **GIRAFFE BLUES** , thinking that she could reach out to the Windermerean pilot. Hearing her, Walkure could only stand in awe as the pilot sang out the lyrics towards the SV-262, her voice echoing through the comm network. The enemy pilot groaned as her fingers felt the trigger, her emerald eyes narrowing in disgust.

"Foolish Rose," she muttered out as the Draken got ready to fire, only to feel her arm shaking as she looked at her limb. "What… what is this…"

As she asked herself that, another headache came into her form as she gripped her face, growling in pain as it travelled through her body as the song continued. As Ruby continued to sing from her Valkyrie, Chuck stayed in the air as both him and Summer heard her song through their internal speakers, but when he looked at the console, the readings began to change on him. Gasping, he looked back down to the ground as the young Reaper's VF-1EX continued to stare at the Draken while the pilot focused her energy on the song.

Groaning from the pain brought to her by Ruby's singing, the Windermerean pulled an infected Larrazabal as she maneuvered the Draken's arm towards the VF-1EX's Battroid head, opening fire in the process. However, the young reaper anticipated the movement and moved her machine off to the side, seeing the bullets impact the ground and missing her by an inch. Not even flinching, the young girl kept on singing towards the Windermerean fighter as its pilot moved her hand to grip head, the pain becoming more unbearable.

As she felt her body feel the effects of the song coursing through her veins, her Var readings continued to drop, broadcasting it to the _Sigur Valens_ as Lloyd turned to face the numbers. Shocked, he pressed a few command keys to figure out the cause of the sudden drop, only to widen his eyes as it wasn't the work of Walkure, but of one of the Delta Platoon's pilots. His hands formed into fists as he observed the numbers plummet, unsure of how to fix the problem and ensure the replacement White Knight's loyalty to Windermere's cause.

Back on Remnant, Gale continued to struggle as the Var symptoms in her body were dispersing from her nervous system, and as she screamed out her lungs for the first time, memories unknown to her began to resurface in her head once more in waves. Memories of a human version of her meeting a blonde knight, of the girl being a champion and her death during Beacon's fall were among others as the pilot's eyes shook out of control. Eventually, as the Var symptoms are fully gone, the redheaded Windermerean collapsed as her body leaned forward as she heavily breathed out after the pain was gone before hearing the young reaper's voice, making herself known to the human.

"That… that voice," she muttered out hoarsely as her rune glowed in remembrance. "Is that you… Ru… Ruby?"

"Pyrrha," the young girl answered, getting a response as the Draken shut down as it collapsed on top of the VF-1EX, connecting to the _Elysion_ before calling out to Ernest. "Captain… get a medical team ready. We're extracting our Windermerean Guest out of the Battroid."

* * *

Groaning, the Windermerean suddenly opened her eyes before leaning up from the bed, gasping as she took in her surroundings. Letting her eyes wonder, she made out that she was in an infirmary of sorts before the memories of the human came back to her steadily. Wincing slightly, she regained her sense of breathing before hearing the door open, looking over to see Ruby walking in the room, wearing her Chaos uniform as both eyes gazed at each other in recognition.

"Ruby," the Windermerean asked out, getting a nod from the girl before sighing, letting her eyes look over her form. "You look… different from when I last saw you."

"I do," she answered her, crossing her arms before letting out a smirk. "Back when you were a human… Pyrrha."

"Pyrrha…" she muttered out before nodding, making sense of the memories. "I remember now. I was a Windermerean the whole time… How could I be both a human and a Windermerean?"

"I thought for sure you would know." Shrugging, the young reaper walked over to the Windermerean Pyrrha's bedside, grabbing a chair before sitting down. "But I'm sure you need time to rest after what you went through."

"What I went through?"

Ruby nodded before leaning forward, her silver eyes becoming more focused than before. "Pyrrha… what was the last thing you remember as a human being?"

Frowning in thought, the redhead gasped before looking over to her side, recalling the events as if they were clear as day. "I… died… didn't I?"

"You did. You died fighting against Cinder, the mastermind behind Beacon's fall." The girl lightly chuckled before continuing. "Yet, here we are, at the school that held the Vytal Festival that woman destroyed."

Frowning, the Windermerean raised her hands as the memories of Cinder killing her resurfaced before receding, making the girl look at the Delta Platoon pilot. "Ruby… what happened after I… well, died?"

Sighing heavily, the young girl recollected her own memories before answering her. "Well, I somehow unleashed a power unknown to me, freezing the Grimm dragon near me at the time, though how I did it still confuses me. Yang lost her arm in that chaos, my team was broken apart and Jaune's team mourned you. Knowing that Cinder's still out there, I had them come with me over to Mistral… though it was devastated by the Var Syndrome."

"Right, I know of it," Pyrrha mused before nodding, allowing the young girl to continue.

"After that, I learned that there's more life outside of Remnant and, getting my team back together, joined up with the Delta Platoon and Walkure to combat the Var. One battle after another, the Aerial Knights came around and joined the battle, ending with Windermere declaring war on the N.U.N.S."

"That was months ago, and the war escalated to Windermere taking control of the Brisingr Globular Cluster," they looked over to see Ernest walking in, seeing Ruby stand up in attention before he allowed her to ease up while gazing at Pyrrha. "And as one of those Aerial Knights, you participated in each of our skirmishes. Al Shahal, Ionedeth, Voldor and Ragna. Even on this planet, which lies at the edge of the cluster."

"So what will you do with me, then," she asked him, aware of her situation. "I aided your enemy in the war."

"While that is true, such elements like your Var readings tell me you weren't in full control of yourself in this." Humming in thought, he gazed over to Ruby before continuing. "The N.U.N.S. would surely get their hands only like they tried to with the White Rose, but after conversing with Lady M., we came to the conclusion that you'll be under our custody. All that we ask is your cooperation once you fully recover."

"Are you certain about this?" Frowning, her rune shined a somber blue as she continued. "I mean, I could run the risk of falling to the Var again."

"We're aware of the risks."

"Think about it this way, Pyrrha," Ruby took over as the young girl crossed her arms. "If Windermere was willing to infect you with the Var Syndrome, then they'll consider you expendable once you were cleared of it. You would be better off with us in the long run."

"With that being said, I need to ask you," the Zentradi took over. "Who and what are you, and what should we address you as?"

Thinking about it further, the bedridden Windermerean frowned as she went over her memories as herself and the human Pyrrha. Both sides had her becoming what she had, as a talented Huntress in training for the human side and an ace pilot for Windermere. Closing her eyes, she breathed out once more before gazing at the two, her emerald eyes full of determination.

"I… I am Pyrrha Nikos, a student of Beacon Academy and member of team JNPR," she announced before continuing. "But I am also Pyrrha Gale Windermere, ace pilot of the Aerial Knights once slated to be the White Knight." She then looked down as she spoke. "But I ask that, I should not be allowed to fly until I'm fine with the way I am."

"I understand," he acknowledged before standing up, surprising Ruby and the Windermerean as he made his way. "2nd Lt., we should leave her be for the time, allow her teammates to reunite with their fallen comrade."

Nodding to his order, Ruby made her way out of the infirmary alongside the Captain, waving back to Pyrrha once more as they passed the three team members of JNPR, glancing to see them enter in their place. Sighing heavily, the reaper pondered on how to break the news towards her teammates once they return, wondering how they will take it. While thinking about it, she sighed once more before calling out to the Zentradi.

"I can't tell if you planned this, Captain," she spoke out, getting a chuckle from him before continuing. "I wonder how Windermere will take the news? That their replacement White Knight has swapped side during the war?"

"Like you told her, they'll consider her expendable," he answered her. "Besides, I believe their own White Knight, Keith Aero Windermere, may have recovered at this point. It's only a matter of time before they make another move."

"Plus, we don't even know when the Grimm will come back." Thinking further, she added her two cents. "We don't even know if the scientist involved in creating them, Erica Saunders, left behind a legacy, or is now immortal due to what they did to her."

"We don't know the answers, but we'll deal with it when the time comes." He then smirked when she's not looking before continuing. "By the way, the repair costs for the VF-1EX will be coming out of your pay."

"WAIT, WHAT?" Shocked, she heard him laughing before pouting. "No fair, Captain."

"But you did prove that even a training model based on the VF-1 Variable Fighters can keep up with the recent models."

"Still, what choice did I have," she pointed out. "My fighter was under maintenance and I was near the VF-1EX when Pyrrha came towards us."

"Is that so?"

"Yes." She then pondered about the scenario. "What if the Windermereans come back for another round?"

"Then we'll be ready to counter them," he answered her. "However, the Battle of Ragna may have been the last one for their king, Gramia. They may do one more expedition here, at any location, before returning to Windermere to announce a successor."

"Right."

With her mind made up, she left the Captain to check on her VF-31 _Siegfried_ , allowing Ernest to gather his own thoughts on the matter. While he was capable of bringing the Windermerean into custody, he can't help but ponder of the risks that both her and the Delta Pilot mentioned earlier. However, he has faith that it won't happen as he made his way back to the Macross, glancing to the side to see Glynda repairing the courtyard as the Workroids moved the damaged machines away from the scene.

It won't be long until Windermere comes back to Remnant, either for another round or to extend their declaration of war.

* * *

 **A/N: The biggest struggle for me… was how I was going to tackle this hot mess of a chapter.**

 **So, basically this chapter is pretty much self-explanatory as the replacement White Knight makes a return in this fic. Honestly, this portion of the fic had also been planned since before I started on this project two years ago. However, putting it into actual words was the hard part as I had to write out how the chapter will go on my phone. Still, I have to say that I'm satisfied with how it turned out, though I'm very certain that there are a few mistakes I missed on.**

 **In regards to the arc, I am one chapter away from finishing Arc III: The Truth of Remnant. Once the next chapter is up, it will move on to Arc IV, which covers episodes 15-26 of the Macross Delta anime. After that will be an epilogue which will tell what happened to the cast of RWBY a few years after the anime's events. I won't say anything else beyond that, but it may include a preview of the next project involving Summer and her involvement in the events of Frontier. Aside from that, but there are other projects that I'm working on, so if I focus on them, consider supporting them as well.**

 **Review Replies:**

 **Edrap:** _ **First; i good have you back after months.  
Second; Im a boy of nineteen who is going to turn to his Twenty. But my birthday is on schoolar test period.**_

 _ **And for the Xover, is with macross. i could do it with Robotech but i dont want the comments full with carl's haters.**_

 _ **Also did you tried to use the google traductor for reading it.**_  
 _ **And can you help me a little? i need some advice about character development and interacting between them.**_

 _ **Also, are you planing to train beacon students to fly the Valkyries?**_

 **Ahh, OK. Sorry about that, but sometimes with the internet, you may never know what to expect with other people. Many people could very much make fake accounts and act as if they're someone else. Also, this may be early for me, but Happy Early Birthday.**

 **OK, so it is Macross then. Neat. The very idea of the RWBY and Macross crossover can very well work well in fan fiction as the girls have gotten used to transforming weapons. Add transforming fighters, and you have some interesting results.**

 **Google Translator? Damn, I didn't even think about that. Whenever I have time on my days off work, I'll have a look.  
And what sort of advice would you like?**

 **As for planning… Not during the events of the fan fic, but in the epilogue, I'll have most of the students take in certain positions. Not just flying Valkyries, but also manning the Ops Center in a Macross, mechanics, etc.**

 **Alexwu704:** _ **This chapter is really a truth and revelation about the secret of the Nirvana**_

 _ **The Great War is about deciding those who want to leave the planet or stay to live among the people**_

 _ **The Grimm, a creature based on fear, is actually a weapon use to fight against the Vajra and this Erica Saunders is became known as Salem who gave birth to the Grimm.**_

 _ **It looks like the girls decided what to do for their goals. However, things will not be an easy one because I have a feeling the enemy is making a move and it will be a terrifying one for the People of Remnants, Delta Squad, and the Walkure**_

 _ **The next chapter may show what is going on Windermere or what is Salem or Jacque is up to**_  
 _ **See You in the next chapter**_

 **Not really about leaving the planet, but whether or not to still consider the planet as N.U.N.S. or independent.**

 **And yeah, the Grimm was once an N.U.N.S. Project meant to combat and counter the Vajra. Not only that, but they also mentioned 'Dormant Vajra,' meaning that the cruisers had a couple kept in stasis.**

 **Pretty much. But like anything else, they'll prevail over the situation and come out on top, hitting a few bumps along the way.**

 **Nope. It's all about Pyrrha Gale Windermere this time.**

 **Y-2013 (New Universe Returns):** _ **Wow, so that's how the Grimm, and most likely Salem, came to being. I wonder how she would react when she find out that THEY have returned.**_

 _ **Now I was thinking that Team RWY and JNR will wear their new outfits from V4 (V5 for Yang) later on.**_

 **That would depend on how the next chapter turns out.**

 **JNR were already in their Volume 4 attire since chapter 8, man. I thought I described their change… Yeah, I did. As for the girls of RWY, no. While their designs are nice, I'm not going with their new attires from the series for this crossover. Plus, Yang with short hair.**

 **I was also asked to bring out how the react fics would go for this crossover. The RWBY girls can be in either their Volume 4 or Volume 5 situations when they suddenly appear in a void like space, where an Arbiter (your choice of either author self or fictional character) displays the events of this fic to them. Direction, intermissions and even breaks are all on your hands too. Whoever is interested in doing a react fic for this has my green light for this.**

 **I hope you guys enjoy the chapter. What do you think? Leave a Favorite, Follow and Review.**

 **With that out of the way, I'm BlazefireDrago, signing out.**


	25. Update

**This is only just a quick little update that just recently happened.**

 **While working on the next chapter of this fic, something happened that went beyond my control to the point where my laptop literally froze on me. I was able to resolve the issue, only to find that the work that I had put in is now gone. Basically, this annoyed me to no end as over 5000 words that I had type so far is now gone.**

 **Needless to say, I apologize in advance, but I'm going to have to take a break as this incident had pushed my buttons. I'll take a few days off clearing my head over this, but I can't promise how long that will be.**

 **This will be replaced with the actual chapter once I'm back in the groove.**

 **Sincere Apologies,**

 **BlazefireDrago**.


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